Wow it's been awhile since I updated all my stories! So sorry to leave the few fans I have hanging! And since I have been so bad with uploading I will give you guys two chapters this time. Also we are officially in new territory now, no more going through the story we already know!

Eddie opened his eyes to an aggressively bright florescent light. He blinked against them a few times, confusion filling his still fatigued mind. As he gazed around, to see all the signs of a hospital, his memory kicked back in. They had come to the hospital after the battle with It. Eddie flexed his jaw slightly to feel the fresh bandages that had been placed on it and although his leg was hidden under the blanket the slight stiffness to test movements told him it was bandaged as well.

One more glance around the room had Eddie's eyes landing on the other person there. Richie lay in his own bed, his body still relaxed in sleep, the majority of his right shoulder swallowed up with bandages. Eddie couldn't help smiling as memories continued to pop into his head. Richie had insisted on being in the same room as Eddie until the doctors finally just gave in.

And then there was the series of curses strung together that Richie yelled when they got the lidocaine shots for the stitches.

"You said it would sting a little!" Richie had snapped.

A groan brought Eddie from his thoughts as his eyes wondered over to the source. Richie was now shifting, blinking the sleep from his eyes and looking around just as Eddie had.

"Well looks like the whiny trashmouth is finally awake" Eddie said.

Richie chuckled, "good morning to you too."

Eddie glanced out the window, taking in the beautiful day outside. He couldn't remember the last time he actually enjoyed a day in this crappy town. But the dread that seemed to constantly hang over the town like a storm cloud finally appeared to be gone.

"I can't believe it's over" Eddie said quietly.

"I know, I can't believe we're alive" Richie replied as he attempted to shove away unwanted thoughts of the Deadlights vision.

He had to force himself to remember it wasn't real. Eddie was here, Eddie was alive, with only minor injuries that would heal fairly quickly.

Richie glanced over to find Eddie was looking at him, or rather his shoulder, "what?"

"You really scared the shit out of me back there. I thought that clown killed you."

"Nah, you can't get rid of me that easily, who else would annoy the hell out of you" Richie teased, but when it was met with silence he noticed how serious Eddie was.

Richie carefully got up from his bed, making sure not to tangle himself up in all the medical equipment attached to him. He stood and only swayed slightly before he made his way over to Eddie.

"Hey, I'm alright ok? I knew I had to do it otherwise you would have been killed" Richie said, his voice soft and gentle as he rubbed the other's shoulder.

Eddie sat up, carefully pulling Richie into a semi tight hug, "don't do that again. Don't leave me."

"Never."

Richie pulled back just enough to bring his lips to Eddie's. The kiss felt even more amazing than the first rushed one they had shared. And now since there was no giant demon clown this time they could take their time. It felt so right, despite years of Richie trying to convince himself it was wrong. They eventually had to break apart for air and they both found themselves with dopy smiles on their faces.

*Cough*

The sudden noise had the two jumping apart. Both their eye flew to the door and the nurse that was standing in it. He looked to be only slightly younger than them, skin hardly touched by the sun and hair as brown as chocolate. His face had gentle features and his green eyes held a neutral demeanor. Richie felt panic set in, it was obvious the man had seen them. There was no way they could make an excuse for what they were doing.

Before either of them could say anything the nurse spoke up, "I would have let you two continue, but it's time to take your pain meds. And just a bit of advice, you might want to close the door next time." Richie and Eddie exchanged looks of surprise before they heard the nurse laugh, "I know it's rare to find an accepting person in this town, but I promise your secret is safe with me."

"Thank you" Richie said, his anxiety slowly lowering.

"Of course, now it's time for meds and for you to get back in your bed Mr. Tozier."

"Ah-ha I knew he would break a rule before we came to visit" came Beverly's voice from the door.

"Fine here" Mike said, handing the redhead a bill.

"So nice to see you guys taking bets on me when I'm injured!" Richie said as he laid back down.

"It was hardly a bet, Mike only gave you five minutes after we got here" Ben said.

"It's always so nice to see friends being supportive to our patients" the nurse said as he brought over medicine.

"Thanks for taking care of these knuckleheads by the way" Beverly said.

"It's my pleasure. If you need me just call for Jamie at the nurse's station."

~~~**~~~**~~~**~IT~**~~~**~~~**~~~

"You two are honestly very lucky that your injuries didn't hit any bones or arteries. Maybe this will teach you to drink more responsibility and to not party in abandoned buildings."

Richie honestly still couldn't believe the doctor bought their crazy story. Or maybe she didn't and decided to go along with it.

"Regardless you both will need to stay in the hospital for a week to properly heal and wait for your stiches to come out. We need to make sure those wounds don't get infected, it's a miracle they weren't infected already."

"Thanks doc" Richie said.

"Are you certain that-" Eddie started.

"Eds if you ask her a question we are going to be here all day" Richie teased to which he received a middle finger.

"There was a pipe that burst when we were in that building. I'm pretty sure it was a sewer line and I want to make sure we didn't get anything from that."

"We can run some tests if you like. Now I need to go check on my other patients" the doctor said as she headed out.

"Do you have to be so annoying?" Eddie asked once she was gone.

"Only because it annoys you."

~~~**~~~**~~~**~IT~**~~~**~~~**~~~

Richie turned his head as he heard shuffling for what seemed like the hundredth time. When he glanced over he could see Eddie shifting his pillow, then grumbling, then punching his pillow.

"Can't sleep?" Richie asked.

Eddie jumped slightly at the voice before he settled down, "did I wake you?"

"No, I can't really sleep either" Richie said before, getting an idea. He rose from his bed, shivering a little as his bare feet touched the floor.

"Scoot over" Richie said as he came over.

"Richie-"

"Come on, just do it."

Though the shadows in the room covered it Richie could practically hear Eddie rolling his eyes as he shifted. Richie slid in carefully, keeping in mind of both their injuries as he settled down. Once he had he brought Eddie to lay against him. The shorter was going to protest, but his restlessness quickly settled as Richie wrapped his good arm around him. Eddie found himself cuddling closer to the other male, enjoying the soothing sound of his heartbeat against his ear.

"Remind you of when we were kids?" Richie asked.

"We were never this close though" Eddie replied.

"And we never did this either" Richie said as he leaned in for a kiss, "and isn't that a shame, it would have made those sleepovers more interesting."

Flashback

Eddie gasped as his eyes flew open. His lungs felt like they were being crushed by a wall of concrete. He fumbled through the pillows and blankets, movements growing more desperate the longer he was looking. Suddenly a hand flashed in front of him. Eddie let out a yell, scrambling backwards.

"Dude chill, I was just giving you your inhaler."

Eddie glanced up to find his best friend kneeling in front of him, his usual unruly hair sticking out even more and his abnormally large glasses were slightly askew, something that would have been comical if Eddie wasn't still freaking out. One of his hands were outstretched with the inhaler in it. Eddie took it, quickly pressing the inhaler to his lips, taking a deep breath, instantly feeling the relief he was seeking.

"Let me guess, nightmare?" Richie asked.

"Yes."

"About that stupid clown?"

"Yep."

"Yeah you're not the only one" Richie said before thinking of something, "here move over."

"Why?"

"Just do it dork."

Eddie shifted as Richie crawled over to his sleeping bag and pillow, pulling them with him back to the new empty spot. Eddie watched as the other male settled down.

"So what exactly is your idea?" Eddie asked.

"If you see that clown in your dreams again you can call out to me and I'll come down in that dream with you to help kick that freak's fucking ass."

Eddie chuckled as he settled down as well, feeling more at ease with his best friend so close. And that thought caused a blush to appear on his cheeks, he was grateful for the shadows of the room to help cover it.

"Thanks Richie."

"No problem Eds."

"Don't call me that."

End Flashback

Eddie had to admit not much had changed since they were kids. Being so close to his best friend allowed him to feel instantly at ease. His mind settled for the first time that night as sleep quickly overcame him.

"Thanks Richie" Eddie mumbled sleepily.

"No problems Eds."

"Don't call me t-"Eddie said, his mind dropping off into sleep before he could finish.

~~~**~~~**~~~**~IT~**~~~**~~~**~~~

The sunlight woke Richie the next morning. He let out a yawn as he stretched and instantly flinched when his shoulder protested. A small grumble from in front of him had Richie looking down to Eddie. The smaller of the two shifted slightly before settling back down, his breathing becoming slow and even once more.

Richie couldn't help smiling at the other. Eddie's face always seemed to get this knot between his eyebrows when he was awake, granted, Richie would sometimes be the reason for it. But when he was asleep all the stress he held was nowhere to be found, something Richie honestly couldn't remember ever seeing.

"You know you're lucky I have the morning shift."

The voice startled Richie so much he flinched, causing him to groan in pain, "shit Jamie you scared me."

"I do apologize that was not my intention. How is your pain level this morning?"

"At a five…well maybe now a six."

"I'll give you both something for the pain in a minute. And are we going to explain how you two ended up in the same bed?" Jamie asked, a glint of humor sparkling his eyes.

"Eddie couldn't sleep."

"Uh huh, so the solution was to squish together in one bed."

"Well when we were kids and we had sleepovers we would do something similar if one of us had a nightmare."

Jamie smiled as he finally looked up from his notes, "so you two are childhood sweethearts?"

"Not exactly. We just recently found out we like each other. It took us 27 years to figure out that shit. It took me 27 years to stop thinking my feelings were a bad thing" Richie said, his voice lowering to a mutter at the last sentence.

Jamie let out a small chuckle, "reminds me a bit of myself when I first started going out with my husband."

Richie's eyes widened at that, "well that explains a lot." There was a minor pause of silence before he spoke again, "how long have you been married?"

"Seven years now."

Richie glanced back down at Eddie as his thoughts drifted. Where would they be in seven years? They had confessed their feelings for each other, but they lived on different sides of the country. They both had jobs and lives of their own. A wave of anxiety rushed through Richie at the very thought of having to separate from Eddie. He hadn't even realized how dependent he had become to Eddie's presence in just a short amount of time. But after recalling all their memories of childhood maybe he had always been that way, even back before he really knew about his feelings. And once he had he became extremely paranoid that everyone knew.

Richie continued to be lost in thought until he felt a hand on his arm. He jumped , his body tensing until he realized the source was just Eddie. He hadn't even noticed the other had woken up. Eddie didn't speak, instead he ran his hand up and down the arm that was wrapped around him. To most people the gesture didn't seem special, but Richie could feel their Shine connecting their minds. He could sense Eddie's calm demeanor and it covered his anxiety like a warm blanket, soothing his mind and allowing him to release a breath he hadn't noticed he was holding. Eddie was already a master of knowing just what to say to make Richie feel better and now with their new found power he had a way of soothing Richie without even speaking a word. And that was why Richie couldn't imagine a life without the other now. No one would ever understand him like Eddie could.

"Good morning Eds" Richie finally said.

"Morning" Eddie replied.

"Good morning Mr. Kaspbrak, nice to see you awake" Jamie's voice making Eddie jolt too, "you two are so jumpy this morning."

"Derry tends to do that to us" Eddie replied.

"I know what you mean. There's something strange about this town. My husband and I have always noticed it since we were kids."

"Husband?" Eddie asked and Jamie nodded, "well that explains it."

"And as much as I would like to continue this conversation, the doctor will be checking in on both of you in a few minutes so we need to get you back to your bed Mr. Tozier."

Richie sighed dramatically, "if we must."

Eddie shifted as Richie was helped up, already missing the comfortable warmth. As Jamie assisted Richie back into his bed he happened to notice something peeking out between the stack of medical papers, something that certainly wasn't paperwork.

"What's that?" Richie asked.

Jamie followed Richie's eyeline and was quick to bring his clipboard up to his chest, "it's…nothing."

"You didn't tell me you were a fan."

A small blush dusted across Jamie's face, "I-I didn't want to seem unprofessional. This wasn't even my doing, my husband must have snuck it in with my belongings. I only noticed after I came to check on you."

Richie leaned forward and snatched the picture out of the other papers. It was just a simple picture, something you could find in a Google search, printed on what seemed to be photo paper as it had a slightly glossy look to it.

"Mr. Tozier you don't have to-"

"Nonsense Jamie, you willing put up with Eds and I it's the least I can do. Should I make it out to you and your husband?"

"And our son, he is a huge fan as well" Jamie said as he handed over his pen, "my husband's name is Dee and my son's name is Levi."

Richie nodded in acknowledgment as he signed the picture. Normally meeting fans was a bittersweet experience for him. Many of his fans would often talk about how they loved his comedy which would just remind him none of the jokes were really his.

"So I imagine some of your jokes will be changing now" Jamie said.

The comment caught Richie off guard at first. He hadn't really had time to consider what he would do with his career once he left Derry. He had come to hate the routines he was given, his performance only growing more wooden with each show. But was he really ready for the world to know the truth? It had already taken an incredible amount of effort to just confess to Eddie.

Richie realized he was remaining silent for to long so he quickly attempted to dissolve it with his humorous façade, "what you don't think people will believe I'm straight with a husband?"

"Whoa beep beep Richie, it's way too early to be saying something like that" Eddie protested, "besides I-oh shit Myra!"

When Eddie left New York he decided to shut off his phone, not wanting Myra to ruin his reunion with his friends. And now he was happy with Richie and, oh god Myra was going to kill him if she found out. Just the idea of having to go back to New York to that suffocating woman was more than Eddie could handle right now. His hands began to frantically search around as his lungs seemed to squeeze more oxygen from them with each breath he took.

Suddenly hands were touching his own, circling them in a familiar warmth. Richie's face came into view and it took Eddie a moment to register what he was saying, "you don't need it Eds. Just breath with me. Come on, deep breaths."

Richie placed one of Eddie's hands over his chest as he took a deep breath. Eddie's raspy breathing gradually began to slow until it matched Richie's, the steady gaze and reassuring words calming his anxiety. Soon the thought of grabbing his inhaler had faded and his breathing had returned to normal.

"Are you alright?" Jamie asked, "I do apologize if I caused your distress."

Eddie took a few more seconds to collect himself before answering, "no it's fine, I would have remembered at some point. I should probably check my phone."

"You sure you want to talk to the wicked witch?" Richie asked.

"Don't Richie, just bring me my phone" Eddie said, his voice sounding strained already.

Richie knew there was no point in continuing to argue as that would just cause Eddie to become more irritated. Richie knew the tone his best friend would get when his limit was reached. He walked over to the bag where their clothing was kept, now freshly washed thanks to Mike, and rummaged through it until he found Eddie's phone. When he passed it off he could see the other male's hands shaking slightly. He really hated what that woman did to Eddie just from thought alone.

Eddie took the phone and held down the power button. His anxiety swirled around him as he waited for the phone to boot up. Once the screen came on it took a few seconds for his phone to bombard him with notifications. He could sense Richie looking over his shoulder as he read them.

70 missed calls

90 text messages

And she managed to fill up his voicemail box. Eddie wasn't eager to see any of it. He knew Myra always became furious if he didn't respond to her messages within 20 minutes. It had been several days now and he was almost completely certain her messages were filled with manipulative venom to try to poison his mind once more.

"Would you like me to step out in the hall?" Jamie asked.

Eddie thought it over for a moment. He knew the longer he waited to reply, the worse it would be. But he really lacked the energy to battle with her since it always took the majority of his energy to get through any argument with her.

"No, I will reply later."

Richie exchanged a quick glance with Eddie to make sure the other was alright. He could sense the unease within Eddie, but the shake of his head confirmed he was in no mood to talk about it. Richie made his way back over to his own bed, picking up the abandoned picture, giving it back to Jamie.

"Thank you again Mr. Tozier, this will mean a lot to my family."

"No problem. Please call me Richie, I'm starting to feel like my father when you call me that."

"Well you are practically middle age now" Eddie teased, his voice still sounding slightly strained.

"Shut the fuck up dude, you're only slightly younger than me" Richie teased back.

Jamie chuckled and before Eddie could reply there was a light knock on their door, "sorry to interrupt, but I've got some good news for both of you if I can come in."

"Of course doctor" Eddie replied, glad for the distraction.

And one new chapter down, one to go. I hope the long wait was worth it! I will try my best not to have such a long stretch of time between the next uploads. Life has finally calmed back down for me so I think I can upload a little more often.