27 years| Reddie

You know, he put me at ease

Making out with his Eddie had stopped almost as quickly as it had started. Eddie still had a lot of trauma to overcome so Richie was fine taking it slowly. Eddie got off his lap shakily and sat down beside him on the couch, itching at his arm. Richie glances at him, heart aching, lips sore. He wants more. But he knows he has to be patient. But he has just over two weeks before he heads back to LA.

"Have you eaten?" Eddie asks awkwardly, a blush set over his freckles. Richie nods." What did you have?"

"McDonald's." Richie sighs, fluffing up his hair, Eddie watching." Eds...I only have one bed."

"I can take the couch." Eddie says and Richie shakes his head." I don't want you to sleep on the couch."

"We could just...share my bed. We used to do it all the time. It's not any different." Richie suggests. Eddie sits silently in thought and then nods. Richie shuffles over to him a little and runs a hand through Eddie's hair. Eddie leans into his touch, closing his eyes." I'm proud of you...for opening up."

"I'm thankful you made me go." Eddie sighs and Richie begins to kiss his neck gently." Richie...I-I...not now."

"Sorry." Richie apologises, pulling away but still playing with Eddie's hair, eyes wandering over him. Until they land on Eddie's hand." You're still wearing your ring."

"Huh? Oh. Yeah. Forgot to take it off." Eddie states as Richie let's go of him completely. Eddie slides the ring off of his finger and fiddles with it." I don't know why I married her."

"Comfort from your mother?" Richie asks and Eddie shrugs." Eddie...I know you don't want to hear it but...I love you. I just want you to know that I love you because I feel like no one has ever sincerely told you that."

Eddie just nods and stands up, announcing he's going for a shower. Richie watches him hesitantly, knowing what Eddie's like with showers. If the shower goes on for too long, Richie will intrude. He turns back to the TV and watches the Office and one episode passes, then another...and then another and it's been an hour and a half and Eddie is still in the shower. Richie starts to worry, so he gets up and makes his way to the bathroom, knocking on the door.

"Eddie, is everything okay?" He asks and the door opens to reveal Eddie standing in his boxers. Richie's eyes go wide at how ripped Eddie is. He has a six pack. Richie can't stop himself from staring and it gets worse when Eddie uses a towel to dry his hair, making it fluffy and stick up.

"Yeah. Yeah I'm fine that was...a calm shower. Don't worry!" Eddie chuckles, kissing Richie on the cheek as he makes his way out of the bathroom, Richie following slowly." I forgot my pyjamas like a dumbass...do you have a shirt I can borrow?"

"Many." Richie replies as they walk into his room. Eddie sits on the bed and Richie rummages through the drawers in search of a shirt.

He finds one and hands it to Eddie. It's new, freshly bought two weeks ago. It's mustard and has red crosses on it. He's only worn it twice. Richie stands up and turns around, looking at Eddie, who's finishing buttoning the shirt up. It goes just to the top of his knees. It's huge on him and Richie stares at him with all the love in the world.

"Permission to kiss?" Richie asks because he isn't sure if Eddie is comfortable with that.  Eddie awkwardly shakes his head and Richie nods understandingly.

Eddie heads off to clean away the KFC packaging whilst Richie gets changed for bed. He slips on gray pyjama shorts and a black t-shirt. If Eddie wasn't here, he'd go shirtless, but he suddenly felt insecure. Eddie had a body that looked like it was carved by Michael Angelo himself. Richie was a little more on the curvier side...a dad bod as some would say...and he was insecure now. He knows he shouldn't be but he can't help it.

Eddie returns to the bedroom, grabbing his toothbrush, and they go off to do their teeth. Richie smiles at Eddie in the mirror as they do their teeth. They hadn't had a sleepover since that day before graduation and they were both excited. Eddie chuckles and spits the toothpaste into the sink before he continues to brush his teeth.

"Do yoo still bwush for like free minutes?" Richie asks, mouthful of toothpaste. He spits and then rinses his brush off, placing it back in the holder and wiping his mouth with a towel. Eddie nods. Richie just watches him for the next minute before he's rinsing off his brush, placing it beside Richie's and wiping his mouth too. 

Richie teases him as they go back into Richie's room, Eddie cursing at him but laughing. Richie grins and they glance at the bed, not sure what side to get on. Eddie always slept on the right hand side, so he naturally goes over to that side, slipping back onto the old dynamic. Richie gets in beside him and turns his TV on. Eddie pulls the comforter over himself and snuggles into it slightly. Richie smiles as he watches.

"What do you want to watch?" He asks Eddie, who shrugs.

They squabble over what to watch for a few minutes before they settle on Brooklyn Nine Nine, something neither of them have watched. Eddie laughs almost every second and Richie grins as he hears Eddie's laugh. He has a warm feeling in his stomach that he calls the Eddie Warmth. Because it only happens due to Eddie. Eddie is his happiness. Eddie is his comfort. He always has been. Even when Richie couldn't remember.

Eddie's laughter soon turns into snoring after about four episodes of the show. Richie glances over at him. Eddie's facing him, mouth parted slightly, one hand resting by his stomach, one by his head, his chest rising and falling in rhythm with his snores. Eddie had always been a loud snorer but Richie didn't mind. He loved it. Eddie was loud awake or asleep.

Richie turns his TV off and then turns his lamp off, snuggling further under the comforter. He slides his off his glasses and places them on his bedside table. He wants to hold Eddie in his arms but he's too scared. After Eddie confessed to what he'd almost done at 27, Richie wants to hold him tight and never let go. Afraid he'll disappear before Richie's eyes.

Eddie squirms slightly in his sleep and then rolls over, facing away from Richie, who moves in a tiny bit closer but leaves enough space between the two so Eddie is comfortable. Richie just admires Eddie's back for a few minutes as he listens to Eddie's snores. Eddie's back is a little broad but not as broad as Richie's. The mans figure is still petite beside clearly working out. Richie smiles and his eyes begin to close slowly. Trying to fight off sleep, he reaches a hand out and begins to draw shapes lightly into Eddie's back. Eddie's breath hitches slightly and Richie pulls away a little, but the snoring soon fills the silence of the room and Richie goes back to drawing shapes on Eddie's back. Until, sleep washes over him.