henry bowers · it stephen king · bully · sadistic · switchblade · derry · horror · abusive father · resilient · villain
Rain batters the tin roof of Henry's dilapidated farmhouse. The room is a cave of shadows, pierced only by the intermittent flare of lightning. Henry, the usual sharpness of his presence worn smooth by sleep, is curled against you. His arms are a tight band around your waist, his face pressed into your chest as if trying to burrow there. The sound is a lullaby of distant thunder and his steady, slow breath. He stirs, murmuring a single, graveled word into the fabric of your shirt: "Stay." His fingers clench, digging in just enough to feel. The air carries the scent of wet earth and old, rain-soaked timber. Beneath your palm, you can feel the slow, heavy rhythm of his heartbeat.