Chapter Text
He wasn't sure what it was, and it was for certain that Phil, Lilly or Susie didn't have a clue about what that creature was either. Then it disappeared, and the screen burnt away, casting a red light onto the rest of the theatre.
Lilly whimpered out, 'Where did it go?', sitting up fully in her seat, confusion and fear evident in her eyes. Teddy followed, pressing his back to the back of the seat.
"What the fuck is that thing?" He shuddered, before looking at the sudden movement from Phil.
"See I told you weird shit was going on in that air base. They made a giant fucking mutant baby!" Phil yelled out, leaning forward and gripping the seat. Susie followed, grabbing his arm and hiding her face in it. Next thing they knew, that baby creature was making it's way to the four of them. They all screamed.
Phil shouted out for them to get moving, grabbing Susie's hand and running down the aisle, only for the creature to be crawling to the end of it. Teddy turned around and starting to run the opposite way, heart pounding in his chest.
All Teddy could think about this whole time was how stressful this was. He kept noticing the empty feeling in his gut, like he was scared so bad he needed to throw up. This feeling kept him silent. Or at least, for as long as he could.
Once he made it out of the row of chairs, he was tackled to the floor, sharp pain sending shocks throughout his entire body. He was getting dragged around, even going through the aisle behind the one they were originally sitting it, before being lifted off the ground and spun around. Gosh, this movement and the pain made him want to throw up. But he kept screaming.
He got tossed around a bit more, the creature lifting him up to it's knee and cutting through his gut. Teddy let out a groan, but it sounded more of a scream and he passed out.
- - - - - - - -
He woke up with a headache. Ever since that attack, he'd been getting them more often as he got older. Teddy sat up, adjusting to the light coming in through the large curtain gap at his window. He could've sworn he shut them last night after Phil snuck himself out.
He rubbed his eyes, slipping out of his blanket and out of bed, making his way out of his room to the bathroom.
Teddy stared at his reflection in the mirror with a scowl on his face, as tired eyes wandered over his features.
Having just woken up moments ago, his curly hair was messy and the bags under his eyes as dark as ever. He turned his head to the right, to show the large white scar on his left cheek. He wished it would fade away as it had been there since he and his friends were attacked four years ago. He was thirteen then, but now he was shy of turning seventeen.
He turned the cold water tap on, cupping his hands under it, allowing the water to fill it up before he splashed it on his face.
It felt nice. A great contrast to the July summer heat despite it being so early in the morning. He twisted the knob, lifted his head up and grabbed a towel to pat dry his face. He grabbed his toothbrush and toothpaste, applying the paste onto the brush, before starting to brush his teeth.
Two minutes would pass and he spit out the excess toothpaste. He wiped his mouth with the towel and lifted up his wrist, checking the time. 7:15 AM.
Another fifteen minutes and he'd have Phil Malkin, his best friend since first grade (and boyfriend as of last year), banging on his front door. Teddy hung the towel up on its hook and left the bathroom, heading to his bedroom to finish getting ready.
He shut his bedroom door and stretched for a short moment. On his bed laid an outfit he had already set out the night prior. It consisted of a blue polo, beige shorts and a belt. He shuffled over to his bed with a yawn, and started to unbutton his pyjama shirt.
He shrugged it off, picking it up from the floor. His head throbbed and he rested a hand against it for a moment, hoping it'd do something to ease the pain. He rebuttoned it, folded it and laid it on the edge of his bed. He rested a hand on his stomach, tracing over the scar that formed there from the attack.
He didn't care much if this scar hadn't healed, he was just glad the stomach aches from his peritonitis had stopped two months after the intial attack.
He pulled the polo shirt over his head, fitting his arms into the sleeves and pulling it down. Then he took off his pants, folding them as he did with the pyjama shirt and laid them on top of it.
He grabbed his shorts and pulled them onto his legs, and doing them up. He grabbed his belt and put it on, checking his watch again. 7:20AM.
He sat on his bed, pulling his socks and shoes over his feet. He sat there for a moment, just looking at the rest of his room.
Everything was neat and there was no mess. The books he owned were alphabetically sorted, and his comics neatly stacked beside his lamp.
Teddy rubbed his temples, feeling the headache get worse. He'd need water before he left to hang out with his friends.
He'd need a lot of water actually.
His headaches tended to get worse on hot days, and for some reason he still agreed to hang out with his friends despite knowing it would be hot.
He got up to leave his room, shutting the door and walking downstairs to the kitchen. The Uris house essentially looked the same as Teddy's room; clean and tidy. He opened a cabinet and got out a glass, moving to the sink to fill it up.
He drank it slowly, hoping that would help with the headache, before putting it next to the sink and walking out of the house. He checked his watch again, shutting the front door. 7:27AM.
Three minutes. But knowing Phil, he'd actually only leave his house at 7:30. That's just how he was. Teddy walked to the fence, approaching his bike that was leant up against it.
He grabbed ahold of the handles and starting rolling it through the front yard. He waited by the curb and played with his watch.
When the time turned to 7:36, he heard bike pedals get closer. Phil skidded to a stop, hopping off his bike and grinning at the Jewish boy.
Teddy looked up at him, really paying attention to him. Especially his height.
Phil was tall, and it felt like he was constantly growing; not in an intimidating way, but an endearing one. And his height wasn’t even the best part. His blue eyes were easy to get lost in, as cringey as it was for Teddy to admit, and his smile was gorgeous. The three moles on his face only made it worse.
"Hey Teds." Phil's voice was sweet as always. The corner of Teddy's lips were coming up slightly, making him smile in the awkward way Phil loved. The taller boy stepped closer and went to hug him.
Despite loving this guy to the moon and back a million times, Teddy couldn't with physical affection in public. His stomach would drop everytime and not in that cute 'I'm in love way'.
And it pissed him off so much. He pulled away from the hug almost instantly, blush creeping onto his cheeks. He loved Phil's hugs, he really did, but he didn't want people to get the wrong idea if they walked past.
But what they're doing behind everyone's back was already the wrong thing. Or atleast, what he's trying to come to terms with considering it's 1966.
He looked up at Phil with a worried look in his eyes, hoping he wasn't mad at the fact he had essentially just rejected his attempt at physical affection.
Thankfully, there was not a single sign of anger or disappointment. After all, Phil was aware that Teddy's family were at home still. "Hello Phil."
"Ready to go?" The taller boy hummed, picking up his bike from the floor and sitting on the seat, legs extended to keep the bike upright.
"You never told me the plans for today. So, before we go, I want to know."
Phil smiled, "We're just going to our usual spot. Isn't it obvious?" He started to ride down the street, and Teddy was quick to follow.
"Well, yes, but-."
"Great! No questions needed." Phil cut him off, slowing down so they could ride side by side.
"Okay, so I was thinking last night, right. And I started to think that maybe Rich and Will are friends because they both speak like, alien. And they have another form. One that's so green and bulky and gross!"
Teddy listened to the rambling of his boyfriend, shaking his head at the ridiculous ideas. "No way. Rich and Will? They're like the most normal people we know."
"Exactly! And since when is Derry normal? Like c'mon, we had some killer fucking clown attack us in the shape of a mutant baby! Rich and Will are a little too normal for Derry!"
Teddy would roll his eyes at this. He continued to paddle along the sidewalk, making their way to the standpipe where they had spent most of their time together for the past several years. "I honestly thought you got over the alien conspiries ages ago." Teddy would ask as they started their journey up the stairs.
"I did. I don't have all those alien theories on my pin board anymore." The taller boy responded, skipping two steps at a time.
"So you just started thinking about them again last night?"
"In a way, I guess..." Phil slowed his ascension up the stairs and waited for Teddy to catch up. His hand found the blond's hand and clasped their hands together.
"I guess I was thinking about what happened again. We never found Matty. I feel, you know, upset about it." He stopped, hands still attached. Teddy stopped on the step in front of Phil.
"You weren't all that upset when Matty first went missing." Teddy retorted.
Phil looked at Teddy with a whiny look in his eyes. Well, not exactly whiny; more apologetic. He's never stopped feeling bad about dismissing Teddy's guilt. "Teddy." He whined slightly.
The Jewish boy raised an eyebrow. The whole look of his face just seemed unamused. Phil couldn't blame him; Teddy could hold grudges for years.
"I'm sorry, okay? I was a douchebag ages ago! But I feel so bad now. And that's what's scaring me. What if It comes back and uses that against me? What if I lose you next?" Phil's blue eyes looked at Teddy's face, fear evident. Honestly, it made Teddy feel bad; just for a moment.
"I'm scared too, Phil. But we defeated him. He's not coming back." Teddy spoke softly, "And if he does, we just, you know, defeat him again."
Phil's heart was pumping with stress throughout that conversation, but what his boyfriend had said to him made it slow down. He took a quick breath in, before letting the ends of his lips curve upwards.
He pecked Teddy's cheek; much to his surprise, and continued walking. He kept their hands together as they finished the last few flights of stairs.
Teddy stepped over the chain that was supposed to block off the top section from the public, and made his way to the table that sat close to the wall. A lot had changed over the years: they got rid of the tents (Lilly thought they were molding) and they had replaced it with another table with a few more chairs. But their friend group had changed too.
Obviously, puberty reached its peak over the last two years, but the trauma bonded them more.
And that trauma was the thing that got Rich and Marge together in the first place. He had asked her out the week after he was discharged from the hospital. Marge was sobbing; particularly because she didn't she'd be able to have a proper conversation with him.
But regardless, they were meant to be. Teddy always thought they complimented each other well. Just like he and Phil.
Speaking of which, Lilly is the only one who knows. Phil had pointed out, and quoted: "She has bigger problems to worry about than two of her friends kissing or hugging or... dating??"
Teddy remembers that afternoon very well. It makes him laugh when he remembers it.
"No way. We're not telling anyone about us!" Teddy whisper-yelled, keeping an eye out and constantly looking around the hallway.
Phil; fifteen and pretty tall, looked at Teddy with a pleading look in his eyes. They had been dating for roughly a month, but they hadn't done anything aside from holding hands when they were certain they were alone or pretending their dates were just hang outs together. "Teds, just hear me out."
Teddy would scoff and shake his head, "We're definitely not telling anyone of our friends!" Phil grabbed his shoulder with one of his hands.
"Lilly wouldn't care! She has bigger problems to worry about than two of her friends kissing or hugging... or dating??" Phil shook the shoulder lightly. "Wait, that's what we are, right? Like, dating?"
Teddy sighed and rubbed his temple. The stress of telling people was making this stupid headache of his worsen. And Phil's density wasn't helping either.
"Yes," He'd said. "We're dating."
Teddy huffed out a quiet laughter, shaking his head with a small smile plastered on his lips.
"You good, Teds?" Phil's voice cut in, disrupting the memory.
The standpipe came back into focus as he blinked. The chairs, the table, the summer heat pressing down onto him even this early in the morning.
His head throbbed from it.
"I'm good." He replied, taking a seat on one of the chairs. "Just thinking." Teddy's lips curled up slightly into a small smirk.
"You're really sure you're okay?" Phil sat himself on the chair next to him, bumping their knees together.
"Yes, Phil." He nodded, "I'm really sure."
Phil beamed, leaning closer to him and looking at Teddy's features.
"Well, then let me tell you about my newest theory." He started, and Teddy only rolled his eyes playfully.
He leaned back into the chair and looked at the sky, while Phil started to talk about his new theory.
Gosh, he wished the rest of their friends would hurry up.
He closed his eyes, just for a moment and let Phil's voice cut in the background. He didn't feel like he was needed anywhere else.
Just as he was getting comfy, the sound of footsteps and giggles could be heard from the stairs.
And they're here. He thought with a deep breath