"Richie." Richie grunted in annoyance at the sudden shaking of his body. "Richie, get up you're heavy!" Eddie pushed on his chest, trying to wiggle out from underneath him.
"Tired." Is all he could mutter, burying his face further into what he finally realized was Eddie's neck. "A little longer."
"No! Rich, c'mon I need to use the bathroom!"
"Pee on me."
"That's fucking disgusting."
"There you go kink shaming again Eds."
"I will kick your ass if you don't get off of me. Don't make me start counting." They both knew that there was no way Eddie would be able to move Richie by force, even though he was very strong despite being shorter. "I swear to God, Tozier-"
"Fine." Richie groaned and slowly picked himself up, leaning on his forearms so he was no longer crushing Eddie. "Mm, what time is it?" He blinked his eyes as Eddie slid out from underneath him. A stupid smile graced his face when he realized that Eddie had taken his glasses off for him and placed them neatly on the coffee table. Fucking adorable.
"Almost eight."
"Ew, why'd you let me sleep so long?" Richie rubbed his eyes before putting the glasses back on. "I feel like shit."
"You look like shit too." Eddie snorted, turning the corner to the bathroom. "And I'm not your damn alarm clock!"
"Really? Because you're definitely as loud as one!" He fired back, chuckling when Eddie didn't even bother to respond. "I'm ordering food without you!" He still didn't get a response, and certainly still didn't bother to move from the couch. He laid there as Eddie relieved himself, resorting to checking through all of his emails: adult work that Richie hated doing. He loved his job and his fans, but the business part of work always bored him. He hired people to do a lot of it for him, but he still needed to keep up with everything anyway.
"How hungry could you still be?" Eddie finally replied as he emerged from around the corner, still toying with the hem of his pants. "I'm still stuffed from lunch."
"First the kink shaming, now the fat shaming?" Richie feigned a frown. "You wound me Eds."
"Shut up idiot, I'm not calling you fat." Eddie sat back down on the couch, picking up a few takeout menus strewn across the coffee table. "Are you in the mood for something?"
"You."
Eddie shot him a glare, tossing the menus at him. "Decide quickly, you really shouldn't be eating dinner this late. It can cause indigestion, cramps, insomnia-"
Richie just watched him ramble on with a small smug smile, letting him finish. "How about we just order some ice cream or something?"
"You're not serious." Eddie squinted at him before laughing. "Please tell me you're not serious!"
"As serious as a heart attack."
"You're gonna have a fucking heart attack if you make a habit of ordering ice cream for dinner. And at eight o'clock at night no less!"
"C'mon man, live a little." Richie pulled him closer, ruffling up his hair. "It'll just be you, me and tubs of icecream. We can even invite some My Strange Addiction to the orgy."
"Ew, don't say it like that." Eddie laughed, shoving Richie's hands away from his head. "Fine, order ice cream. I'll allow it just this once."
"Oh thank you, your highness!" Richie opened up a delivery app on his phone and ordered way more ice cream than necessary, preparing himself for another scolding. Sure enough, Eddie was baffled by the six tubs of ice cream that were delivered to the door. After an entire lecture, they resumed their positions on the couch, Richie semi cradling Eddie against him as they watched the show. Everytime someone had some odd form of OCD or wierd cleaning habit, Richie was quick to tell Eddie "that's you", which only earned him several elbows to the ribs.
"I feel disgusting." Eddie mumbled, setting down his nearly finished tub of ice cream. "I need to get back to working out."
"I appreciate your dedication to taking care of that tight little body of yours, but you shouldn't push yourself. I'd wait a little longer." Richie said through the ice cream in his mouth, digging into a second tub. "Please, just don't hurt yourself."
"If I'm allowed to have sex now, then I'm allowed to go on a light jog." His casual tone made Richie choke on his ice cream. "I'm not planning on running a marathon or anything. I just need to get back into it. I think it will help a lot with recovery."
Richie didn't argue, knowing that Eddie was far too stubborn and very good at getting what he wanted. Especially when it came to Richie, they both knew very well that he'd do anything for Eddie. But neither of them could figure out if that was scary or comforting.
"Go to bed Richie." Eddie nudged him lightly, making Richie blink his eyes open to adjust to the bright light of the tv. He wasn't sure when he had dozed off, pressed comfortably against Eddie's smaller frame.
"Let me just sleep here." He mumbled sleepily, trying to close his eyes again to shut out the light.
"You'll fuck up your back." Eddie yawned, the need for sleep also apparent in his voice. "Let's go, get up."
"You get up first." He whined childishly, smiling at Eddie's exasperated sigh. He felt the couch dip and Eddie maneuver in his arms, sensing that he was now hovering over him.
"Your turn."
Richie blinked his eyes open again to Eddie moving from above him, catching that the time under the tv read 11:42. "It's really cute that you care so much about my back." He stretched out on the couch, groaning as he took up every inch. "What did I miss?"
"The lady who drinks paint isn't dead yet, surprisingly."
"What about the dude who bathes in bleach? Did he die a horrible death yet?" He snorted when Eddie shook his head. "Did his dick fall off yet?"
"Jesus, no!"
"See, I told you it's fine." He finished stretching and sat up straight, planting his feet to the floor. "You of all people would be into that. You're like... freakishly clean. Can't get cleaner than bathing in bleach."
"Yeah, I think I'll pass." He shook his head, picking up the empty tubs of ice cream that were scattered across the floor. "I'm going to take a real shower."
"I'll pass on the real shower too. I'm beat." Richie laughed at the disgusted look on Eddie's face. "I'm clean, I promise. I took a shower this morning."
"Whatever. You're still gross." He walked towards the kitchen and Richie heard him dumping the tubs into the garbage. "Goodnight Rich." He yawned, waving to Richie before turning the corner towards his room.
"Night Eds." Richie didn't move for a few minutes, too lazy and tired to get up. If it was a regular old day he probably would've stayed there. But this wasn't a regular day, Eddie was staying there now and everyday was new and exciting. Richie loved having Eddie there more than anything, but even he wanted to be spared the lecture Eddie would give him if he caught Richie sleeping on the couch again.
He stood up quickly with a groan, shuffling towards his room and stripping to his t-shirt and boxers before sliding into bed. It didn't take him long to fall back asleep.
When he was young, he and Eddie would climb up Bill's lofted bed. There was a futon underneath it that Ben, Mike, and Stan would usually sit on, but the rest of them took the risk and crammed onto Bill's mattress. "Y-you guys, there's not enough r-room."
"Technically Eddie doesn't count. He's so small and he weighs nothing." Richie snickered, squeezing close to Beverly who gasped when the loft creaked beneath them. "Richie! You're going to get us all killed!"
"Aw, said who? Can I not bond with my bestest friends?" Richie unfolded the Catan board, beginning to hand out the pieces, his head barely fitting between the bed and the ceiling. "Today's the day I beat you guys."
"Yeah right." Eddie scoffed, snatching the dice from him. "I might be smaller than you but I'll always kick your ass."
"You just wait Eds, one day I'll win and wipe that smirk off of your face."
"Don't call me that."
"Make me!" Richie giggled as Eddie used all of his body weight to push Richie onto his back, nearly sending them both over the railing of the bunk. "Woah dude, what happened to being such a freak about safety?"
"Ever since you let me die I don't really care." Richie looked at him, confused before Eddie opened his mouth and blood spattered onto his face. He blinked it away in terror as adult Eddie now hovered over him. "You still love me don't you Richie? Isn't that your filthy secret Richie? Richie-"
"RICHIE!"
Richie gasped for air as the nightmare broke off, eyes darting frantically around the room. "Hey, hey, Richie. You're okay, you're having another nightmare. You're okay, you're alright." Eddie repeated the mantra over again, gingerly petting Richie's shoulder. Seeing Eddie next to him, uninjured with his brows furrowed like usual, made him sigh in relief. "It's just a nightmare." He said again, making his heart flutter. He placed his hand on his arm, scooting closer to him on the bed. Richie shuddered at his cool hand on his feverish skin, feeling his heartbeat slowly steady.
Eddie gave him a reassuring smile, despite the concern still apparent on his face that even Richie could see with the help of the moonlight creeping through the window. Eventually, Richie laid his head back down on the pillow and let out a hitched breath, afraid to close his eyes just yet. "What time is it?" He croaked, the raspiness of his own voice scaring him.
"Two in the morning." Eddie replied briefly, his voice soft but still filled with concern. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah." He lied, cold sweat dripping down from his forehead. "Sorry for waking you."
"Don't apologise." Eddie continued the comforting little circles he was rubbing on his arm. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"No." Richie huffed, his voice shaking a little. "It was just a stupid dream." Just a dream. It's just a dream. Eddie's alive. Eddie's okay.
"You were screaming. Richie you shouldn't hold it in-"
"I'm fine! It's just a dream, okay? Leave it alone." He felt a little bad for how defensive it came out, feeling even worse at the hint of a frown forming on Eddie's face.
"Fine." He stopped the motion of his hand and swung his legs out of Richie's bed. "Goodnight."
Stupid, all you're doing is pushing him away. You stupid, inconsiderate person, you're just making him more and more distant.
"Eddie." He rasped out, his chest tightening so much it hurt. "Can you please stay?" The last part came out as a whimper, and Eddie stopped the door from closing behind him. Richie heard him let out a little sigh before he turned back around.
"Are you going to tell me what's on your mind?" He shut the door, leaning his back flush against it and crossing his arms against his chest.
"It was just..." Richie quivered at the thought. "Just... when we were kids you'd whoop my ass in Catan. I dreamt that we were at Bill's house back then... and then it just-" He interrupted himself with a sob, causing Eddie to return to his spot on the bed. "They are always just so fucked up, you keep dying-"
"I'm right here." Eddie whispered, trying to comfort him. "We're both okay."
"Don't leave." Richie begged him. "Please don't leave me."
"I won't." Eddie promised, his own voice starting to shake. "I'm right here." He repeated, slipping under the covers and allowing Richie to pull him as close as possible. Richie squeezed him tightly, making sure that he was really there. "Try to get some sleep Richie. I'm not going anywhere." Eddie breathed into his neck, the warm air soothing in temperature and as a reminder that Eddie was in fact breathing. He was alive and in his arms, and there was no need for Richie to worry anymore. It took a while, but he eventually fell back to sleep.
In a much better way to wake up, Richie's eyes fluttered open to Eddie's sleepy eyes next to him. "Hey Rich, I'm going to go for a run. Go back to sleep." He let Richie's large hand reach up and caress his face, bringing a smaller hand up to hold it to his cheek.
"Want me to go with you?" Richie's voice was still rough but he felt much better. He wished he could always wake up like this.
"You?" Eddie snorted. "You seriously would want to run with me?"
"Hell no." Richie smiled lazily. "But I can drive slowly behind you or something. Appreciate the view."
"You're a creep." Eddie smiled back, slowly sitting up. "Go back to sleep. When I get back I'll wake you up and we can get some breakfast."
"Ordering or going out?" Richie yawned, stretching his long arms. "Or I can cook, I'm Gordon Ramsey's best kept secret in the kitchen."
"Sure." Eddie rolled his eyes. "We can decide when I get back." He slowly rolled off of the bed and stretched his back, grunting before continuing to the door. Richie didn't get a chance to admire him much while they were in bed, but he thoroughly enjoyed getting an eyeful of Eddie's flawless body. He scanned down his toned back, a white t-shirt clung tightly to each muscle. And don't get him started on those legs, thin but solid, and thighs that could crush watermelons. Richie only allowed his gaze to linger on Eddie's ass for a second, only clothed by a pair of baby blue boxers. If he looked at him any longer he'd start drooling.
Thankfully, Eddie slipped out of the room to get ready for his run and Richie pulled out his laptop to check through more emails, which never seemed to stop coming in. Most of them were the standard brand deal requests and some fan mail that leaked to his business account, but one caught his eye.
To:
From:
Subject: SNL Host Listing
To Mr. Richie Tozier and his team,
Lorne Michaels and the board for Saturday Night Live have watched your viral coming out video, and would love to have you on the show to host. We figure that this will be an opportune moment to step back into the spotlight and encourage those who may still be struggling with their identity. Congratulations on coming out, as well as continuing to be an inspiration in comedy, and we hope to hear back from you so we can begin working on a schedule!
-Sarah Cohen, Talent Recruiting Manager
Richie read it over multiple times, torn between pure excitement and absolute anxiety. "Andrew are you seeing this shit!" He screamed into the phone, earning a hiss from his newly promoted manager.
"Rich, please stop screaming in my ear! Are you talking about the SNL email or the Netflix one? Megan and I already wrote out some responses but we were waiting for you to get the news before we sent them to you. Surprise?"
"Fuck yeah this is a suprise! Wait- what Netflix one?"
"Did you not read through all of your emails?"
Richie put him on speaker and dug through his inbox for anything from Netflix, finally finding one from the previous night. "Holy shitballs."
To:
From:
Subject: Netflix Original Special
To Richie Tozier and co,
Netflix has gotten word that you are currently working on new material for a renovated performance. We are extremely happy to hear of your new found passion and would like to set up a meeting to discuss a Netflix comedy special, including this new material. If you are interested, we would love to go over some things and see a portion of your new work, although it does not need to be completed just yet of course. Congratulations on the support you've gained and success with coming out as a public figure, we hope to hear from you soon.
-Daniel Fox, Netflix Originals Inc.
"Drew, I'm gonna pass out." Richie chuckled, his heart thumping with adrenaline. "What the fuck did I do to deserve all this?"
"You work hard Rich, and people like you." Andrew laughed. "And also you're gay. Corporations love inclusion points."
"And here I thought being a big ol' homo was gonna ruin my career!"
"Yeah see, what you just said is something that we are gonna need to work on. Don't go around around calling yourself that, people might find it insensitive-"
"Whatever man. Insensitive is my brand, I'm Trashmouth fucking Tozier. I've made worse jokes and look, hosting SNL and a Netflix special?"
"Let's just set up a meeting to talk about all of this before you start letting your ego get ahead of you. Send me days that work for you and I'll work something out with Megan. Do you want to meet with SNL or Netflix first?"
"Hm." Richie hummed, his face starting to hurt from smiling. "Netflix first maybe since that'll take more time to prepare for. SNL can come after, but don't wait to email them."
"Yes sir." Andrew clicked. "And congrats Richie, this is a big deal. You deserve it all."
"Thanks man." Richie nodded. "Now hang up before you make me cry." He snickered when he immediately heard the disconnect tone. He took a few deep breaths, pacing around his bedroom before getting his laptop, starting to type more new material. He didn't realize how long he'd been going, the only thing to distract him was the opening of the front door.
"Eds!" Richie called out from the room, listening carefully to the sounds coming from the living room.
"Yes?"
"Come in here!" Eddie's footsteps trailed to the bedroom, and Richie smiled, excited to tell him the news. "You won't believe-" He choked on his words when Eddie opened the door, revealing the light yellow shirt that clung tightly to his body, damp with sweat. Richie trails his eyes from his flushed face, dusted pink and still dripping, all the way down to his red running shorts. They were fairly short and showed off those beautiful thighs. It was unfair how good he looked for someone who just came back from a long run.
"I won't believe what?" He asked, his eyebrow raised.
"Um- well..." Richie swallowed thickly, trying to rip his eyes away from Eddie's body. "I got some emails- I think... well it's not really set in stone yet but-" He shook his head. "I might be hosting SNL and I was offered to have my own Netflix comedy special!" He spit out, shutting his laptop abruptly.
Eddie just looked at him before a smile slowly formed on his face. "Wow, that's really big Rich. I thought you were going to say something stupid but- that's really cool. I'm so happy for you."
"Yeah?" He breathed out.
Eddie nodded. "I mean, I'm not surprised. Everyone should want you." He laughed at Richie's dumb expression. "I'm serious. I'm really proud of you."
"Stop. You're gonna make me cry!" Richie laughed shakily, covering his face.
"No crying, you promised me breakfast after my run. Gordon Ramsey's best kept secret or whatever the fuck."
"Yeah yeah. You're gonna eat your words."
"I'd rather eat food."
"Wow, good one." Richie snorted. "Anything you're in the mood for?"
"Whatever." Eddie hummed, tapping his foot on the floor. "I'm just gonna take a shower."
"Sure." Richie nodded, opening his laptop again. It didn't take him long to realize that Eddie was just staring at him, not moving a muscle. "You good?"
"Idiot." He mumbled under his breath before shuffling in his spot. "Wanna join?"
Richie looked at him with wide eyes, feeling his own face heat up. "What?"
Eddie threw his hands in the air, sighing. "Do you want to join me in the shower or not? Hello, Earth to Richie?" He waved his hands in front of the short circuiting man in front of him.
"I- wait seriously?" He laughed, starting to sweat just looking at Eddie. "I mean- yeah... duh. Fuck yeah, just- this isn't a joke right? Fuck, hold on. Yeah I'll... yeah." Richie closed his laptop again, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. "My shower is bigger if you want-"
"Stop talking before I change my mind." Eddie grunted, passing him to enter the bathroom that connected to his room. "Oh thank God you have soap and shampoo in here."
"I'd be offended if I wasn't so confused right now."
"How is this confusing, I thought I was being pretty straight forward! Do I really need to put the pieces together for you?" Eddie rolled his eyes, examining the bottle of shampoo before placing it back on the shower shelf. He gripped the hem of his shirt and lifted it over his head, tossing it aside. "Are you going to undress yourself or do I have to do that for you too?" He placed his watch carefully on the sink and kicked off his socks, tossing them at him.
"Forgive me for enjoying the view." Richie swallowed, not able to function enough to dodge the socks. "Jesus Eddie, are you trying to kill me?"
"I don't know what you're talking about." He shrugged, fiddling with the waistband of his shorts, turning back around to face the shower. "I'm just taking a shower." He bent his knees slightly to pull down both his shorts and boxers at once, leaving him completely naked.
"You are so fucking confusing man." Richie finally caught up to speed and shrugged his shirt over his shoulders, all the while getting an eyeful of Eddie's perfect ass. "I'm surprised you can even reach the soap."
"I will kill you with your own razor." He glared over his shoulder, pausing to look at Richie's torso up and down before blushing. Richie suddenly realized that this was the first time in two decades that he was getting naked in front of Eddie, hesitating to remove his boxers.
"Lies. It would get too gross for you, even in a shower you probably still wouldn't feel clean enough." He decided that while Eddie was distracted it was his chance to get fully naked and climb in behind him, almost pressing against his back.
"I'm pretty sure if I was able to swim through sewer water, twice, I can handle it."
"That was pretty badass of you." He breathed close to Eddie's ear, making him jump slightly. "Pass me the shampoo Mr. Staph Infection."
"I'll show you a staph infection." Eddie shot back, making them both giggle at the memory. He turned his body slightly to hand over the bottle, and Richie squirted a generous amount onto his hand and worked it into Eddie's hair.
"You're just as good the second time around." He hummed, tilting his head back to meet his hands. "I might have to hire you full time to wash my hair."
"I'm getting a lot of new job opportunities lately, but I'll see when I can work you into my schedule. I'll still have time for you, don't worry." Richie smiled, loving the way Eddie purred when his fingers pulled at the few tangles. "And what will I be getting in return for my expert hair washing abilities?"
"Hm. I'll make sure your entire house is clean and organized."
"Deal. Even though I feel like that's secretly a fetish of yours, cleaning up after me. This sounds like a win win for you."
"Cleaning up after you is absolutely not my fetish." Eddie snorted, taking the bottle back from him. "But I do like living in a clean and neat space so I guess I do win. Switch."
Richie turned around, sighing when Eddie's hands returned the favor and worked shampoo into his long curls. He hissed lightly whenever his fingers would tug at a stubborn patch of curls, scrunching his face. "I think it's time for a haircut, my hair has a will of its own now-"
"Don't you dare." Eddie flicked his temple. "It looks good, don't touch it."
"You like it long?"
"Yeah, it looks good on you." He answered lowly. "You look good." His hands left Richie's hair, lightly ghosting over his shoulders. "Just- don't cut it yet okay?"
"If you like it Eds, it's here to stay." He nodded, turning around to face him. "Turn around, I didn't get all of the soap out of your hair."
"Wow. One more mess up like that and I might have to fire you."
"Jokes on you." Richie combed his fingers through Eddie's soft hair, tugging lightly. "Then you'll just be cleaning the house for free. Then I win."
"I'll just have to find my own place- ah." He let out a small noise when Richie's fingers gripped his hair a little harder.
"No." Richie pouted. "Don't leave."
"I was joking dumb- Richie!" He gasped as Richie ran his fingers teasingly down his back, curving around his waist to brush over the fine dip of his v-line. "You're supposed to be cleaning- ugh!" A moan slipped from his lips as Richie's hand traveled a little further. He shot his arm out to grab the wall for support, pressing his forearm against it to stabilize his footing.
"This okay?" Richie breathed out.
Eddie nodded in response, shuddering with a wave of sensation when Richie wrapped his long fingers around his member. "You're already hard." Richie choked into his ear, pulling a whimper from Eddie as he tugged at his length, fisting it in his large hand as he pumped it up and down.
"It's your fault." Eddie breathed out, his legs twitching at the pressure. "Rich-" He whispered as Richie pressed small kisses on his shoulder, sucking and nipping at the freshly cleaned skin.
"Hey, you were pretty much asking for it." He smirked, letting go of Eddie to trail his hands back over his sides to ghost over his ass. "You're a tease."
"I have... no idea what you're talking about." He panted, turning his head over his shoulder.
"You're a filthy liar Eds!" Richie snickered, twisting him around in his arms. "Those running shorts nearly gave me a heart attack! Not to mention you literally invited me to shower with you. I know I'm a good hair washer but damn!"
"Well maybe if you were better at taking a hint I wouldn't have to try so hard!"
"Hey, I'm not complaining!" Richie slid his hands back up to Eddie's waist, holding him firmly while staring into his big brown eyes. "But if you were horny you could've just told me."
"I hate you."
"But here you are." He laughed. "You know if you wanted a change in scenery so bad we could've just used my bed. Well, I guess the shower makes sense for a little clean freak like you. Is it an extra turn on to be clean while you get dirty?" He finished with a wiggle of his eyebrows.
"I swear to God, if you don't start using your mouth for better things I'm going to- hmph!" The air was punched out of him when his back hit the wall, Richie's lips catching his feverishly. "Touch me more." He panted, clawing at Richie's shoulders.
"Only if you ask nicely." Richie teased, surprised when Eddie tossed his head back to lean on the wall. His hips involuntarily twitched up to rub against Richie's thigh.
"Please Richie." He whined shakily, not putting up much of a fight.
"Alright baby." He curled his long fingers around his throbbing cock again, pulling a hiss from his mouth. "Feel good?"
Eddie nodded frantically, wrapping his arms around Richie's neck to bring him down to his lips. His entire body shuddered when Richie slipped his tongue into his mouth, allowing it to tangle with his own. "You better have brushed your fucking teeth." He scoffed, making Richie chuckle.
"A little too late for that Eds."
"You're not serious right? You can't be sh-shit-" He sputtered as the rough pad of Richie's thumb brushed over his head. "Richie."
"Fuck Eddie." Richie growled. "I can probably finish just watching you like this. You're so fucking beautiful, and you sound like a wet dream. You're so hot."
Eddie looked down between them, eyes widening at Richie's throbbing length. Richie felt very self conscious, feeling like a troll compared to how absolutely gorgeous Eddie looked. "You're such an- asshole. Fuck, I can't believe your dick jokes are true. It makes me kind of mad..."
"I wasn't lying." Richie laughed horsley. "You know who else was surprised by my size?"
"If you say what I think you're going to say I'll punch you in the face." Eddie glared, staring down for a few more seconds before tentatively reaching with his hand. "Can I..."
"Holy shit, yes." He held his breath as Eddie gingerly wrapped his smaller hand around him, twitching in his grip.
"Jesus Rich." Eddie swallowed, carefully gripping him a little tighter. "I- I don't know what I'm doing here." Richie had made plenty of dick jokes, so in hindsight Eddie should've been prepared. But it didn't make him feel any less intimidated.
"You don't have to do anything you don't want to Eds." Richie's voice was strained. "Just getting to touch you is a fucking dream."
"No, I want you to feel good too. I just- I don't know, help me out here."
"You're doing good. So good." He gulped. "Squeeze a little tighter, fuck, yeah like that."
Eddie smirked a little, pumping his hand up and down as he continued to buck up into Richie's fist. Richie looked like he was going to have a heart attack, his mouth wide open and his eyes trying their best to stay open. "Just like that Eds." He grunted as Eddie mimicked him by dragging his thumb over his slit.
"God, Richie." Eddie said softly, biting his lip as Richie rolled his hips into his hand. "I don't know much longer I can do this." His legs were starting to shake slightly from the sensation and the focus it took to keep himself from slipping.
"Here, let me." Richie batted his hand away, receiving a confused look from Eddie. He smiled down at him, leaning in to lock their lips before pulling him closer by his hips so he could grab both of them in his big hand, stroking them together.
"Ah- Richie!" Eddie moved both hands back to Richie's shoulders for stability, his nails biting into the skin there. "I can't- Richie, your hands." He whimpered, pressing his forehead just under Richie's collarbone.
"You like my hands baby?" He whispered as he tugged a little more roughly, relishing in the grunts that were punched out of Eddie. "I think you might have a hand kink."
"Sh." Eddie hissed, squeezing his eyes shut. "Shut up."
"Look at me Eddie. I wanna look at you."
Eddie let his head rest there for a few more seconds before tilting it back against the wall, keeping eye contact as his back arched off of the tiles. "Richie." He gasped, almost as a warning,
"I know baby. Me too." Richie grunted, spreading his legs apart for more support, flicking his wrist the way he liked. "I've got you. You look so good like this, so fucking cute."
Eddie couldn't do much but just focus on not slipping as he came over Richie's hand, writhing against the wall. He hissed at the cold tiles against his flushed skin, but he was pulled away from it when Richie released him to finish himself off down the drain. "Shit- fuck!" Richie jolted, his hips still bucking lightly into his hand. Both men kept eye contact after finishing, hands still roaming each other as the shower washed away any mess.
"Is this my tip for the hair washing job?" Richie breathed out, cupping Eddie's cheek, brushing a thumb over the faint scar. Eddie didn't answer, resorting to pulling him in for a kiss to shut him up. It worked, and Richie pressed him back up against the wall, humming into his mouth. Like everything with Richie, it didn't take him long for him to start talking again.
"Just so you know, that was super hot. Also, can't believe you have a hand kink, you totally do! And you seemed to be really liking the nicknames-"
"I'm getting out." He reached around him to shut the water, shoving him lightly to step out of the shower. "You're the worst."
"You know I'm the worst, you've known for years. And you still let me touch your dick!"
"Richie, stop!" He groaned, his face heating up again.
"What, you did! And you touched my dick."
"And if you don't get out and start making me breakfast I'll never do it again." He wrapped a towel around his waist and left the bathroom, allowing the steam to flood out into Richie's room.
"That's just rude Eds! Bribery at its finest!" He didn't get a reply, so he carefully stepped out and wrapped the other towel around him. He dried off his torso before wrapping the towel around his hair and threw on a new pair of pants and a shirt before making his way to the kitchen. Eddie hadn't emerged from his room yet so Richie began to prep breakfast while he waited.
Eggs, a sprinkle of cheese, onions, green pepper, and a dash of salt. All the ingredients necessary for a Tozier omelette. His mom made them better than anyone, but he picked up a few tricks from the kitchen back in Derry.
"I thought you were kidding about knowing how to cook." Richie could hear the smirk on Eddie's face without having to turn around. "I was hiding out in my room to give you time to secretly order something."
"Ha ha." Richie rolled his eyes. "Sit down you little shit. Prepare to have your mind blown."
"Try me, asshole."
"Bon appetit, bitch." He slid the plate across the counter, and Eddie eyed it suspiciously.
"I know we are goofing off but what the fuck- Where did you learn how to make this? It surprisingly doesn't look like shit."
"I'm flattered." He put his plate onto the counter across from Eddie, swinging a leg over the stool. "Do you inspect everything you eat?"
"Uh yeah." Eddie raised an eyebrow like it was obvious, eyeing the plate intensely. "If something is going to be in my mouth I need to be precise."
"I could make so many dirty jokes right now but I choose to be an adult."
"For once." He sighed, cutting a small piece and inspecting it one more time before carefully moving the fork into his mouth. "No. I refuse to believe you made this."
"You literally just watched me make it." Richie laughed, forking a big piece into his own mouth.
"Since when did you become a good cook?" He mumbled, taking a larger bite and humming at the taste. "All jokes aside this is really good."
"This is hardly cooking, Eds. Just you wait till you see what else I can make." He started to rattle off some of the dishes he'd perfected over the years, interrupted by Eddie leaning over the counter to smack him upside the head.
"Are you telling me that you knew how to cook this entire time? Richie, we've been sitting on our asses ordering takeout since the hospital!"
"I'm sorry!" Richie snickered, holding his hands up in defense. "I thought you enjoyed it?"
Eddie poked around the plate before smiling down at it. "I did. But it's still unhealthy."
"Yeah, whatever. Enjoy the omelette that I slaved away on."
They ate in peace, devouring their plates and exchanging jokes and laughs. It was extremely... domestic, and Richie had never been so happy. "Wait so are you allergic to eggs or not?"
"I'm just sensitive to a lot of things man. I really only have bad reactions to peanuts... I think that's it. Everything else is kind of, uh, mental I guess." Eddie explained, placing the dishes in the sink. Richie had insisted that he could wash them, or more conveniently, put them in the dishwasher. But Eddie wasn't having it, and Richie gave in pretty easily.
"Ugh, my phone won't stop fucking vibrating." He sighed, setting it onto the table. "Shit, Bev's been blowing up my phone." He opened his text messages and saw a few missed calls and an unread text.
Bevvy: Check your goddamn mail trashmouth!
Richie groaned and left Eddie in the kitchen to take care of the dishes, and he begrudgingly walked the short distance from his front door to the mailbox. He pulled out a few letters and slammed it shut, sorting through them on his way back to the kitchen. His feet froze when he got to an envelope addressed to Richard Tozier and Edward Kaspbrak.
From a Mr. and Mrs. Hanscom.
"Holy fucking shit." He coughed, choking on his own breath. "No fucking way!"
"Jesus, what are you yelling about?" Eddie squinted at him. "You're going to give me a fucking headache."
"BEN AND BEV ARE GETTING MARRIED I THINK."
Eddie halted all movement and slowly let his jaw drop. "What? What the hell do you mean you think!?" His eyes dropped to the envelope in Richie's hands. "OPEN IT!"
"OH MY GOD."
"RICHIE OPEN THE FUCKING THING."
"OH MY FUCKING FUCK-" He couldn't finish before Eddie swiped it from his hands, tearing open the paper. He pulled out a small white card, covered with little spots of gold that accented the bold letters.
"Please join us for a very special occasion." Eddie read out loud. "Wedding of Benjamin Hanscom and Beverly Marsh. Oh my God Richie-"
"Holy fuck man." He began to pace around the counter. "What date? When is this happening??"
"It just says January!"
"I'm going to die."
"Christ dude, CALL HER!"
"OKAY!" He fumbled with his phone and dragged Eddie to the couch, placing it on the coffee table on speaker. She didn't even get to speak before they were both shouting at her. "BEVERLY MARSH ARE YOU ENGAGED? IS BEN THERE? WHAT'S HAPPENING? WHEN?"
"Woah calm down boys, one at a time." She giggled on the other side of the line. "It's official. Ben asked, and I said yes!"
"This better not be some sick joke Marsh!" Richie sniffled, already getting emotional for her.
"It's not, I promise!"
"Not to be the debbie downer, but did your divorce go through that quickly?" Eddie asked, eyeing Richie.
"Well I submitted evidence of domestic abuse, which sure expedites the process. And I got a restraining order against that asshole, so that's just the icing on top of the cake."
"Bevvy I'm so fucking happy for you..."
"Thanks Rich." They could hear her smile through the phone. "So yeah! I know we aren't decided on a date yet, but we are aiming for January. A nice winter wedding!"
"In Chicago?"
"Well that's the thing. I got a job offer in Los Angeles so Ben and I were thinking-"
"YES." Richie screamed, clapping his hands like a seal. "You need to move here so we can hang out like all of the time! I'll even model for you!"
"Now that's a deal trashmouth. Oh and just one more thing I wanted to mention, well, ask..."
"Anything Bev, anything. Eds and I are there." He nodded, Eddie agreeing beside him.
"Well... obviously my dad won't be there. None of my family will." Her voice sounded more anxious. "I was hoping you'd do me the honor and walk me down the aisle?"
Eddie's jaw was nearly touching the coffee table at that point, and Richie had never been so speechless. "M-me?" He croaked. "You want me to do you the honor? God, fuck- I'm sorry." He was weeping now, rubbing his eyes beneath his glasses. "Of course Bev, it would be my honor. God I'm so grateful that you'd pick little ole me."
"Of course Richie, you're family. I can't thank you enough." She giggled through her own crying. They heard Ben's voice faintly in the background and some shuffling. "My fiance is here to speak with you guys, here he is."
"Hey guys." Ben chided, smugly.
"Benny boy! Big man!" Richie cheered.
"Congrats Ben, we are really happy for you guys." Eddie smiled, gripping Richie's shaking hand.
"Thanks so much. Richie, can't wait to see you walk my girl down the aisle. It wouldn't be the same if it were anybody else."
"Trust me, the honor is all mine man."
"Oh, and Eddie?" Ben sighed, suddenly sounding just as anxious as Beverly had. "I was wondering... if you could-" He chuckled nervously. "It would be my honor to have you as my best man."
Eddie went pale, looking wide eyed at Richie. "R-really?"
"Of course man! Mike will be officiating and Bill has been designated as ring bearer. You'll all be in the bridal/grooms party and table. But yeah, I want you right there with me."
"Why me?" Eddie said hoarsely, squeezing Richie's hand so tight that it almost hurt.
"Are you serious? You were always there for me man. How could I not have you with me after saving my life from Bowers?"
The name made both Eddie and Richie cringe. "Ben I- I will always be there. I'll be there, of course, I'll do it. It's been said a thousand times but it would, truly, be my honor."
"Thanks man, I can't wait! Well listen, keep eyes on the groupchat. We are all planning to get together sometime to celebrate before then."
"You're on Benjamin!" Richie fist pumped into the air. "We'll leave you two love birds to whatever it is that you guys are doing, not in LA. Please come to LA!"
"We're thinking about it." Ben laughed. "I'll definitely keep you updated buddy."
"Roger that, bye Benny boo!"
"Jesus- bye guys."
Richie locked his phone and clasped his hands together. "I can't fucking believe it man, I'm so pumped for those little heteros! I have no clue what to wear but we can figure it out, what do you think is my color Eds? Eds..." His voice trailed off as Eddie let out a body racking sob. His face was still ghost white as he clawed at his neck for air. "Oh my- Eddie? What's happening?" He frantically scrambled to his feet. "Do you need an inhaler, do you have one in your-"
"No!" He choked out, struggling to breathe through his whimpers. "No. No, no, no-"
"Eddie. Eddie, hey." Richie gripped him by the shoulders, heart breaking when Eddie tried to pull away. "You need to tell me what's going on here man! Let me help you."
"I don't know!" He panted, cupping his face with his hands. "I'm just overthinking..."
"Overthinking what-"
"Everything!" He shouted, tears painting his face. "I don't fucking deserve to be Ben's best man! It's fucking Ben!" He laughed darkly. "I'm forty and I've been a fraud my entire life, I don't even know who I am anymore! I'm trying but I keep having these thoughts. Everytime I think I'm better and I'm having such a good time, I just think about how I was DEAD. If you hadn't dragged me out of there I would've been down there alone." He looked at Richie with those crushing brown eyes. "I've been having nightmares too Rich, and- and they make me realize that I've already been alone for so many years, and I don't want to die alone. I don't want to live alone either. I just don't want to be alone anymore Richie."
"C'mere Eds." Richie sat back down next to him and pulled him into his lap. "You're not alone. We're here, and you have people who love you. You'll never be alone again, no matter how badly you want to get rid of me." Eddie buried his face into Richie's neck, shaking and crying quietly. "I'm sorry I'm such a fucking mess. Sometimes I think it's not even worth it, and maybe it would've been easier for everyone if you just left me down there."
Richie pulled him away from him so he could stare into his eyes, and Eddie was scared of how serious they were. "Don't. Don't ever say that again okay."
"Richie-"
"Stop." Richie's voice was deadly serious. "I'm not joking, please. Please never ever say that ever a-fucking-gain okay? Promise me, promise me you won't. Eddie I already told you, leaving you there just wasn't an option. I was alone for so long too, always feeling like I was missing something. As soon as I saw you again I knew that I was willing to fucking die." Richie's voice was breaking. "Fuck, I don't want to be alone either Eds. It literally makes me want to vomit when I think about what would've happened if you didn't make it out of there. If you weren't so strong." Richie pulled him close again, squeezing him tightly. "I love you, so fucking much. You don't have to say it back, just promise me you won't ever say something like that again. Please."
"I promise." Eddie said quietly, relaxing into Richie's arm, breathing hot air into his neck. "I'm Sorry."
"It's okay." Richie rubbed his back gently, planting a kiss to the top of his head. "Let's just not think about it anymore." He held Eddie close, relieved to feel him calming down. "We should really talk about getting therapists."
"I could've sworn I was the one who suggested that." Eddie smiled into his neck. "If you're serious about this we can look into it after I get done with divorce court. Myra resorted to emailing me, so I need a new phone. And a new job. And I need time to get my stuff from her-"
"Hey, one step at a time." Richie said in a horrible accent that made Eddie laugh despite his small breakdown. "First of all, we can get you a new phone either today or tomorrow. Second, I'm sure that employers are going to be fighting over you. You're a smart, hardworking, overqualified former risk analyst, and any job would be lucky to have you."
"Thanks Rich." Eddie huffed into his neck. "We'll see I guess."
"Oh I don't have to see, I know it'll happen. And we can also take a trip down to New York in a few days too, I'll help you get your shit and bring it back here. I need to start getting ready for SNL anyway, it works out. Seems like it's meant to be, the universe is willing it!"
"Really? You'd do that?"
"Anything you need Eds." Richie beamed at him. "I'm here for you."
"Richie." Eddie breathed out, pressing his lips so firmly against Richie's, quite literally taking his breath away. "I love you."