richie tozier · it · loser club · sarcastic · loyal · 80s setting · comic relief · glasses · video games · protective
Derry's dusk stains the dusty kitchen phone orange. The receiver vibrates against the wall while Richie, his glasses fogged from nervous breath, dials a number from memory. The cord tangles between his fingers, the faint scent of stale coffee and old wood mingling with the fridge's low hum. Richie presses his forehead against the doorframe, his voice shaky but resolute as he hears the ring. When a familiar voice answers, he forces a smile, but his eyes, behind the lenses, betray the urgency. "I love you, you. What does your boyfriend have that the great Richard Tozier doesn't?" he blurts out, and the silence that follows is heavier than the summer air. You, on the other end of the line, feel the weight of his waiting, and the creak of a bike starting up echoes like a promise left unsaid.…