Chapter Text
“Are you bringing a plus one or not? Patty really wants to know,” Stan asked as they looked idly through the frosting in the party aisle.
“I’ve told you that I’m not at least six times already,” Eddie replied picking out the cream cheese frosting and sprinkles.
“God no, Eds. Put that shit back right now,” Stan sighed. He smiled and did as he was asked before grabbing their real objective.
“I thought Patty was good at cooking. Why are we buying frosting?” He asked grabbing the chocolate.
“It’s for the little graham cracker house she wants to make. Store bought is stickier,” Stan replied. “Still, I know you’ve said no, but you have like a billion guys in your phone. You’re really not interested in any of them?” He poked.
“Rude. I’m only talking to like three guys right now. None of them I’m meeting outside of their bedrooms,” Eddie said while grimacing at the ingredients list. “Christ. This is glue. This shouldn’t be in anyone’s body.”
“You’re very funny, Eddie. You won’t eat Pillsbury frosting, but you’ll let a total stranger ejaculate on your face,” Stan pointed out. Eddie rolled his eyes and tossed the tub to his friend.
“Preferences, Stan,” he supplied. They moved to the produce section and looked for the celery.
“I bet if you asked any of the guys you’re ‘talking to’ out on a date they’d probably be more than thrilled,” Stan said. Eddie shook his head.
“It doesn’t really work like that.”
“I know. I had my fair share of lovers in college. Key words being ‘had’ and ‘college’,” he replied.
“Since when did you become such a traditionalist? Trying to make up for my lack of a father figure?” Eddie teased. They both chuckled, but Stan shook his head.
“Look, I’m not trying to say settle down and get married. All I’m saying is that I didn’t really like jumping from girl to girl back then, but you’re happy then no pressure,” Stan assured him. Eddie shrugged.
“It’s just easier. I work all the time, and I pay my bills. I don’t need another person to make that complicated,” he said.
“Have you ever thought about marriage? Or, better yet, just a simple date? No pressure, just doing something besides hooking up for the entire interaction?” Stan questioned.
Eddie paused and glanced at the wedding band around his friend’s finger. At the ceremony he didn’t feel weird about it, but the years since it happened there was a nagging voice in the back of his head that told him he should’ve been married by then too. The voice sounded a lot like his mother on the other side of the country, so it was easily dismissed. Still, whenever Eddie saw a married couple it got louder. It struck him then and there that he never really did imagine himself getting married. Mostly because he was always told marriage wasn’t for him. It was just legalized in California last summer, and since then he’s been receiving more invitations than friends he remembered having to send them.
“Uh…I guess not. Last time I had a date with a guy was in college and he only wanted a blow job out of it,” Eddie recalled looking away from the band.
“Well, maybe things have changed since then. I just don’t really see you as the heartbreaking bachelor you’ve been for the past decade. Maybe you are, and I respect that, but when we were kids I always assumed you’d get married first and adopt a dog before having kids,” Stan said.
“I mean, to be fair I couldn’t get married first,” he pointed out. Stan nodded and gave a heavy sigh.
“Yeah, that’s true…” he looked across the store and frowned. Eddie looked where his eyes got caught, and felt himself deflate. “Is that Richie?” He asked. Eddie nodded and sighed.
“Yup. That’s the bastard.”
Their friend, that Eddie also grew up with alongside Stan and Bill, was standing awkwardly by the beets. He had spotted Eddie first, and the excitement on his face was comparable to a puppy waiting for a treat. Sad thing was he knew exactly what treat he wanted. He waved at Stan, but turned his eager eyes back to Eddie as he fiddled with his jacket pocket. What was even sadder was that Eddie wanted it too, and he was becoming increasingly concerned with how much he was favoring his hook ups with Richie over his other fuck buddies. Richie tilted his head to the side to suggest they get out of there, and Eddie rolled his eyes before nodding and pulling out his phone to text him.
Eddie: bathroom. I’ll met you there.
“What’s that about? He looks tweaked out,” Stan said.
“He’s not in drugs, he’s just a pervert,” Eddie grumbled.
“What? How?” Stan asked as Richie walked away finally.
“Look, I don’t know how to break this news to you delicately, so I’ll just say that Richie is one of the billions of guys in my phone,” Eddie admitted shamefully. Stan’s eyes went wide, and Eddie was filled with even more regret.
“Wait, you’ve been hooking up with Richie? For how long?” He asked. Eddie sighed.
“Ugh…I dunno. We didn’t just start hooking up right away. We experimented with each other in high school, but we didn’t do anything past kissing until that one crazy New Years party Beverly threw a couple years ago,” Eddie told him.
“A couple years ago? Eds, why am I just learning about this now?” Stan asked. Eddie shrugged.
“It’s not important. We’re just hooking up,” he replied and then walked away.
“Eddie!”
“Don’t wait up!”
He ignored his friend, and found himself a little bit grateful for Richie’s presence. It was a good excuse to get out of that painful conversation about Eddie’s life choices, and also a very fun way to spice up his afternoon. They actually hooked up at that grocery store a lot because they had one room bathrooms and the doors were nearly sound proof. He got to their usual bathroom and knocked once before he was pulled in and immediately met with a kiss. He let the other man push him against the door and lock it as he pressed more and more kisses to Eddie’s lips.
“Mmh…good to see you too,” Eddie murmured. Richie chuckled and then slipped his hands over his waist and pulling their bodies against each other.
“Oh yeah. Very good to see you in my favorite grocery store,” he said.
“It’s only your favorite because I blow you in the bathroom,” Eddie deadpanned.
“That’s a pretty good reason. I think a lot of people would like it here more if they got a blowy in the bathroom from time to time,” Richie pointed out. Eddie rolled his eyes yet again, and turned them so he had Richie up against the wall instead of the door.
“You’d get more of them if you shut up,” Eddie said before kissing down his chest. Richie bit his bottom lip as Eddie undid his pants, and nodded.
“Definitely, but it’s worth watching you do that cute little eye roll that you do. ‘T’s so adorable,” he sighed. Eddie blushed and pulled back to glare at him.
“You know how I feel about you calling me cute,” he grumbled.
“And you know how I feel when you get all flustered and red. Just makes me wanna fuck you harder, baby,” Richie purred. Eddie huffed and then finally sunk down to his knees to pull out Richie’s cock.
“Then fuck me,” Eddie challenged and stroked his length a couple times.
Richie groaned. He grabbed the head of his dick and the back of Eddie’s neck before guiding his length inside of his mouth. Eddie welcomed it, and blinked up at Richie with wide eyes as he slowly pushed Eddie’s head down his cock. He got right to the fabric of his boxers without a single choke or heave, and then swallowed around him. Richie moaned and tilted his head back momentarily before gaping down at the man on his knees for him. Eddie was the first to move, but it wasn’t long before Richie was rocking his hips with him.
“Fuck, you look so good like that, babe. It doesn’t even bother you anymore, huh? So cute with your lips and your eyes. Wanna cum in your mouth,” Richie rambled. Eddie moaned around him and pulled back to focus little licks around the head as he continued stroking him.
“Yeah? You wanna cum on me, Richie? How long have you been thinking about fucking my face today?” Eddie asked.
“Literally just had the hottest dream about it last night. I came all over your face and you kept begging for more. You look so sexy when you want me,” Richie cooed. Eddie kept his eyes as he took the head into his mouth, and moaned a little as Richie pushed his hips a little bit further into his mouth. “…fuck…”
“Do it. I want it,” Eddie whimpered while jerking him off. As if on command, Richie got still and then grunted as he came against Eddie’s lips. The other man licked it up while he was still cumming, and wiped up every last drop on his cheeks to finish it off.
“Fuck, that’s so sexy, baby,” Richie huffed. Eddie tucked Richie back into his pants and felt himself flutter in response to Richie calling him pet names. He did it regardless of their context, but he always used the cutesy ones when they were fooling around.
“Are you going to Stan and Pat’s baby shower?” Eddie asked. Richie blinked down at him as he redid his fly and his buckle.
“Uh, I dunno. That’s kind of a random question. Is that why you’re here with him?” He questioned. Eddie nodded.
“Yeah, and he was nagging me about a plus one,” Eddie sighed.
“Fuck, you too? Geez, just because we’re in our thirties doesn’t mean I wanna buy a big home and have babies,” Richie groaned. Eddie nodded.
“Yeah, that’s my problem too,” he said. Richie helped him up to his feet, and Eddie was pleasantly surprised by Richie kissing him and holding him so close it was impossible to ignore his erection between them. “Mmh, Richie…” he gasped.
“Maybe we should go together just to make them shut up,” Richie suggested while reaching down to squeeze his ass. Eddie whimpered and clung to his neck as he buried his face into it as well.
“Mm…maybe. Fuck, Richie, I love the way you touch me,” Eddie moaned.
“Fuck, they’d be so surprised, huh?” He chuckled.
“I had to tell Stan that we’re hooking up just now because you were being such a fucking weirdo,” Eddie told him. Richie gave a playful pout and then kissed his neck.
“Damn. Well, it’ll be more shocking to actually see it in person,” Richie hummed and kissed under his ear. Eddie shivered and let his eyes close and his head tilt back to give Richie more room. He quickly took advantage of it, and kissed down to the collar of his shirt as he reached down his pants. Eddie gasped and whimpered when Richie first squeezed his cock, and then moaned when he squeezed his ass once more.
“Fuck, Richie…” he breathed.
“Can I finger you, sweetheart? Wanna put my mouth on you and play with your cute little ass,” Richie asked.
Eddie nodded, and essentially rag dolled against the wall as Richie traded places with him and pulled out his dick. He swallowed him down in one go, and Eddie never loved Richie’s big mouth more than whenever he used it on him. Richie loved to shove himself so far down on Eddie’s cock he was fully nuzzling against his abdomen as he did. His nose and his cheeks flushed with the fabric of his underwear, and his head easily bobbing up and down while he pulled the elastic down more for his other goal. Eddie was always a helpless series of whimpers and whines whenever Richie sucked him off, and whenever he fingered him at the same time he was almost guaranteed to sob with pleasure. All it took was a little rub and a press and Eddie was already melting against the tile. It continued for only a little bit more before he was cumming, and even after he did Richie kept him in his mouth until he was soft.
“Fuck, Richie…” Eddie sighed. The man below him smacked his lips together, and then started putting him away.
“Mmm…I could listen to you moaning my name all fucking day,” Richie hummed happily before standing up and kissing Eddie on the lips. Eddie’s hands instinctually went for Richie’s chest, and he let the kiss linger for a moment before they parted.
“You’re a pervert,” Eddie said and then wiggled out of his arms to wash his hands. Richie shrugged behind him, and Eddie could see him turning to join him in the mirror.
“I never claimed not to be,” he said and hooked his chin over Eddie’s shoulder. “So…we’re going to the baby shower together?” He asked. Eddie blinked.
“Oh…uh…yeah. Sure. Why not?” He said.
“Like as a date or just a plus one? Just to get Stan off our unmarried and none monogamous asses?” Richie questioned. Eddie shrugged.
“Fuck it. Let’s do all three,” he said. Richie chuckled and then kissed his cheek.
“Sounds good to me, Eddie spaghetti.”
Never in Eddie’s life did he think he’d actually be going on a date with his best friend. Hooking up was one thing, but an official ‘date’ with Richie always sounded outlandish and…like it shouldn’t exist. Probably because they were such good friends and the sex was so good it would be weird to make it romantic. It was nice that they were both rather relaxed and light hearted about it, but as they met up the next day before heading to Stan and Pat’s, Eddie couldn’t help but feel a pit in his stomach. Everything between them was absolutely normal, and there wasn’t a step out of line in their routine. They meet, Richie says something stupid, Eddie insults him, and then they laugh and move on. It was all the same, but Eddie felt like he was going to shit bricks the whole time. Which made no sense because he cleaned himself out and prepared himself just incase Richie wanted to hook up again after the party. Call it wishful thinking, or pure pathetic hope, but Eddie knew Richie. He gave it twenty minutes before he tried to pull something so they could leave early.
“Eds! And Richie! So good to see you two,” Patty smiled as she opened the door. She was very very pregnant at this point, and, as a gay man, Eddie found it beautiful but very very strange.
“It’s good to see you too, Pats,” Richie grinned.
“Did you guys bring any plus ones?” She asked. Eddie shuffled awkwardly and looked over at Richie who chuckled.
“Nah, we decided to come together instead,” he answered tugging Eddie closer by his waist.
“Christ, Richie,” Eddie sighed as he stumbled into him as planned. Patty blinked at them and then smiled wider then Eddie had ever seen before.
“Ohh…like together together?” She asked sounding way too pleased. Eddie nodded with a tight smile. Thankfully Richie loosened his arm so Eddie was completely smushed against him, but he definitely kept his hand on his waist.
“Yup. You know us. We’re two peas in a pod. Why not give it a try?” Richie said.
“Sometimes it’s a very small pod,” Eddie grumbled. Patty and Richie laughed.
“That’s great to hear. Please, come in! I’ll tell Stanley that you guys are here,” she said and waddled back into the house. The two men followed, and Richie shut the door as Eddie kicked off his shoes. He blushed as he felt Richie gently pull off his jacket and blinked at him as he hung it up on the coat rack.
“Oh, thanks,” he murmured shyly. Richie smiled as he shrugged of his own.
“It’s a date, right? I might be an asshole, but I know how to woo my love interests, Eds,” he said hanging up his jacket as well and then returning both hands around his waist. Eddie let him lean in and press a brief kiss to his lips. It was very sweet, and Eddie felt a little too good receiving it.
“Don’t say it like that. You sound stupid,” Eddie grumbled.
“Like what?”
“Love interest. What are you, a steamy romantic novel protagonist? You should be in one of Patty’s books at this point,” Eddie berated. Richie merely laughed and lightly patted his ass before letting him go.
“I hang up a man’s jacket and suddenly I’m Ryan Gosling,” he teased.
He took Eddie’s hand instead and lead him further into the house. It was decorated very neatly and nicely, and Eddie couldn’t help but hope that Patty made them and Stanley was the one who strung them up. With how pregnant she was he was even worried about her being in a hot and stuffy kitchen. Speaking of, they found the couple in there talking. Stan already looked bewildered, and when he looked at their joined hands his jaw dropped. Eddie felt his face heat up as his friend approached them.
“Hey, Stan the man! Good to see you. Congrats on the little rascal,” Richie said. He let go of Eddie’s hand to hug Stanley instead. Of course he would know how to break the ice and make things a little less serious.
“Th—thanks, Richie. Uh…so when did this happen?” He asked immediately after Richie let him go.
“When did what happen?” Richie asked.
“Don’t be a fucking idiot,” Eddie tsked.
“Oh! Right, uh…I mean we just decided to give it a try. We are in our thirties after all, and our biological clocks are ticking. Don’t wanna get lazy with protection at fifty and have a risky pregnancy,” Richie said. Eddie slapped his arm, and Stan was laughing nervously.
“I see. Well, it’s good to see you guys here. Everyone else is in the living room eating, so go ahead and join them and we’ll open gifts soon,” Stan said.
“Oh! I left mine in my jacket! Be right back,” Richie said and darted off.
“I ordered your gift a while ago, but it’s still being shipped for some reason. It’ll show up here though,” Eddie said as they waited for Richie to return.
“That’s great, Eds. Why the fuck are you on a date with Richie?” Stan asked bluntly. Eddie blushed and then shrugged.
“Neither of us had a date, so we just went together. It’s honestly just to poke fun at you, okay? It’s nothing serious,” Eddie assured him.
“But why not, Eds? I can tell you’re not taking it seriously. That’s been obvious the whole time,” Stan replied.
“Ugh…look, Stan, I appreciate the fact that you worry about me as a friend, but trust me. Everything's okay. We thought it would be funny is all,” Eddie said.
“Got it! I saw it at target the other day and it was too cute,” Richie said rushing in and handing Stanley a pacifier still in its packaging. It had a tiger on it with sparkles, and it really was too cute.
“Thank you, Richie. That’s very sweet of you,” Stan said with a fond smile. Eddie smiled too and then looked over at Richie’s proud expression.
“Of course. It’s not everyday you become a father,” he said patting his shoulder. “Now, let’s eat!”
Taking Eddie’s hand, he lead them into the living room. All of their mutual friends and some of Patty’s friends were there with full plates and mid conversation when they barged in. Richie instantly went for the mini hot dogs, and Eddie couldn’t help but roll his eyes and smile as he avoided the vegetables. They gathered their food and then sat down at the two remaining chairs next to each other. One of Patty’s co-workers was sat next to them, and they were polite but didn’t talk much. Bev was across the room holding Ben’s hand, and Bill was a couple chairs down getting into a heated discussion with Mike. Before Bev could give them a questioning look, Eddie was distracted by Richie trying to feed him a mini hot dog. He protested at first, but became embarrassingly pliant when Richie tilted up his chin. His jaw fell slack at Richie’s request, and he was reminded of all the times he did that to prepare Eddie’s mouth for his cock instead. The knowing look in his eyes as he fed him the hot dog suggested that he was definitely planning on leaving early.
“You guys grew up with Stanley, right?”
Eddie quickly snapped his jaw shut before Richie could feed him another and blushed as he looked away. Patty was pulling a chair to sit next to them, and Eddie only hoped she didn’t see any of the weird semi sexual behavior between them. Richie nodded while Eddie tried to collect himself, and tossed the hot dog into his own mouth.
“Yup. Balls deep in the heart of Derry Maine,” Richie said. Eddie gave him a disapproving grimace.
“Could you be more disgusting? Don’t be rude to Patty,” he said.
“What? We were. I hated that town. Everyone was either a bigot, in the closet, or both,” Richie replied.
“Yes. Stanley has told me many things about Derry. Not a lot of them were good,” Patty said with a smile.
“It wasn’t good, by any means,” Eddie agreed.
“It’s sweet that all of you stuck together though. You guys and Stan and Bill. It’s even sweeter that you two ended up together, huh?” She said with a giddy grin.
“Oh, it’s the sweetest,” Richie agreed.
“Not really. I mean we’re kind of together. It’s not like we’re…y’know…dating or anything,” Eddie injected.
“Oh. My apologies. I thought you guys decided to become official,” she said.
“We are officially boning on the side,” Richie said. Eddie huffed and took a bite of his celery.
“I can’t bring you anywhere. This is why we’re not official,” Eddie grumbled.
“That, and because we both know you’re too good for me,” Richie added. Patty giggled a little bit.
“You bicker like an old married couple anyways. Either way, I’m glad you two are here,” she said. Eddie nodded and smiled.
“Of course. Having a baby is a big thing, and we wanna support you guys,” he said. Somewhere throughout the conversation Richie had slipped his arm over the back of Eddie’s chair. He gently brushed Eddie’s shoulders after he said ‘we’, and he felt his heart race at that implication.
“Exactly. Stan the man is all grown up now. I remember when he was a skimpy little kid too scared to go spelunking in the sewers,” Richie said.
“He wasn’t scared. We were both concerned about walking around in shit water,” Eddie snapped. “And you were skimpy too.”
“We were all skimpy, Eds. You were extra skimpy when your mother put you on that bunny diet that one summer. Remember?”
“Fuck, that was awful. I’ve done vegetarianism right before, and that woman does not know anything about nutrition,” he said.
“She doesn’t know anything about raising a kid. I’m surprised she can even take care of herself,” Richie scoffed. Eddie shook his head.
“She barely does.”
“Alright! Has everyone gotten something to eat?” Stan asked as he walked in.
He looked very Stanley with his perfect curls and cozy sweater. It was sweater season anyways, but the garment always seemed to fit him the best. Of course Richie never went anywhere without an obscure button up, but thankfully he kept it rather simple with a decent maroon color. In fact, Eddie couldn’t help but notice how nice he looked in the simple color, and imagine how he would look in other muted colors.
“Yes, thank you very much!” Bev called from the other side of the room.
“Of course. Right, well you all know that we wanted to do this sooner, but couldn’t for family reasons—“
“Patty looks like she’s gonna pop,” Bill said with a grin before sipping his beer. Patty nodded with a huff and rubbed her belly.
“You’re telling me,” she agreed. Richie laughed at that, and Eddie smiled with them.
“Exactly. Anyways, thank you all for coming today and bringing gifts. We’ll open them for you guys, but really we just appreciate you guys being here,” he said taking a box from the table. He handed it to his wife, and she seemed to glitter with excitement. Eddie had seen the same excitement from Patty since the moment he saw her walking down the aisle. She had so much joy and passion, and Eddie couldn’t help but be envious of it. He didn’t think that having a baby would provide him the same kind of satisfaction with life, but he also didn’t know what would instead.
“Oh! Bevvy, you shouldn’t have!” Patty gasped as she pulled out handmade clothes and hats.
“Do you like it? I wanted to go with gender neutral colors since you guys wanted it to be a surprise,” Beverly said. Her gift included a set of overalls for a six month old, and knitted hats in various colors.
“It’s perfect. Thank you so much, Bev,” Stan said with the biggest grin Eddie had ever seen him wear. Between all the sudden wisdom and nagging Stan had been doing to Eddie since he and Patty got pregnant, he was noticeably happier now that he was going to be a father soon. Seeing that always struck something inside Eddie, and now it just made his heart ache. Maybe he could be a good father too some day…
“Oh my god, Bev, you made little ears for the hats too, that’s so cute,” Richie noticed.
“That is pretty cute,” Eddie murmured.
“Open mine next! It’s expensive!” Bill called. Laughter popcorned throughout the room, and Stan grabbed one of the bigger boxes they put to the side.
As the gift opening continued, Eddie noticed Richie subtly leaning closer and closer to him. He didn’t try to fight it like he usually might’ve after they finished fooling around, and instead he found that he enjoyed the feeling of Richie’s hand on his hip. His warm breath next to his ear when he laughed. The rumble of his voice when he spoke so close to him. These were things that Eddie was already attracted to, but between all the conflicting emotions he was feeling in response to Stan and Patty’s excitement and Richie’s affection he was too exhausted to analyze the real reason he liked having Richie close to him. Instead he leaned into it, and eventually wound up against Richie’s chest as he held him from behind and hooked his chin over his shoulder. It made him feel warm and happy, and whenever he rubbed his thumb under his shirt he was reminded that Richie still wanted more. Stan and Pat got to the last gift, and Eddie’s hand had made its way up into Richie’s curls as they watched the couple. He was surprised by the smile Stan gave them, and smiled back with a little blush.
“Gosh, you guys are so amazing. Thank you so much for all these wonderful and thoughtful gifts. It’s really going to help us bring this baby into this world,” Patty said stroking her belly again. Richie nosed Eddie’s ear at the same time, and in that moment he felt a little spark of happiness.
“Yes. We really appreciate it so much. We’re grateful to share our home with you today…as well as what my friend Ben has to say next,” Stan agreed. He then made eye contact with Ben from across the room, and they nodded to each other. Eddie frowned and looked over to see Ben standing up. Bev looked completely confused by everything, and was even more confused when he turned to her. He got down on one knee and she gasped.
“Let’s go, Benny boy!” Richie whooped. Eddie didn’t have the heart to tell him off. Instead all he could do was watch and clutch the arm wrapped around him as Ben pulled out a velvet box from his back pocket.
“Beverly Marie Marsh, I’ve loved you since the moment we met. The day you agreed to be my girlfriend was the highlight of my week,” he spoke so softly. He then opened the box to reveal an engagement ring. “But if you agreed to be my wife…I think that would be the highlight of my life,” he said. Beverly had her mouth covered with her hands, but Eddie could tell it was a good thing. She couldn’t even speak before she nodded and slipped off her chair to tackle him with a hug and a kiss.
“Yes! Of course I will,” she giggled.
“Aye! My other friends are getting married!” Bill cheered. Mike clapped with him and Stan joined in too. Others did so, but Eddie kept his eyes on the rock Ben was slipping onto Beverly’s finger. All he could think about was how that would never happen to him in a million years, and that left him feeling…conflicted. He barely registered the soft kisses Richie was pressing to the side of his head until he got closer to his ear.
“Let’s blow this popsicle stand, eh? My place or yours?” Richie hummed. Eddie sighed and then let his eyes flutter as Richie kissed his cheek briefly.
“Yours. I just cleaned, so there’s no way I’m letting you in there for another week,” he said. Richie chuckled and squeezed him around his waist. It felt good.
“Then let’s get going.”
They said their goodbyes and gave their hugs before heading out. Stan gave Eddie a lingering smile, but Eddie was too conflicted to say anything else but goodbye. So they got their coats and got back into Richie’s car to head back to his apartment. Eddie had finally bought a house on his own, but most of the time it just felt lonely. It wasn’t even that big, but owning a house instead of renting an apartment always seemed like something you do with a family. Not some sad and lonely hermit in his thirties. Richie never tried to buy a house even though he could probably afford it if he actually tried to save money, and Eddie was starting to understand why. Easier to pretend like you’re still a young idiot with nothing better to do but fuck random strangers.
Throughout the entire drive Richie kept his hand on Eddie’s thigh. Anytime he had to turn or shift he returned it right back to his leg once he was done. His hand was warm as always, and Eddie appreciated the heat. He also appreciated the feeling of being wanted, and he realized as Richie’s words from yesterday echoed in his head that that was what he liked. He liked being wanted, and Richie wanted him like no one else Eddie had ever been with before. The drive was rather quiet as Eddie came to these conclusions, and when they arrived he was snapped out of his thoughts when Richie flicked off the radio. He smiled at Eddie from the drivers seat, and Eddie let him lean over and give him a little kiss.
“It’s still so early in the day. Kinda fun hooking up in the middle of it,” he murmured. Eddie nodded and smiled back.
“It is. Isn’t it?” He replied and kissed him again. Richie broke it with an even wider smile as he unlocked the door.
“We’re gonna have so much fun,” he said before getting out of the car. Eddie giggled and then followed him.
Getting to Richie’s apartment proved to be more difficult then Eddie predicted. It seemed as if every floor they stopped at as they climbed the stairs was an opportunity for Richie to kiss Eddie against the railing. He allowed a few kisses before he had to nag him to go on, and then groaned when he did it on the third and final floor. Eventually they got to Richie’s door, and just when Eddie thought they were home free he was pressed up against the locked door instead. This time his kisses were less playful and more intentional. He slipped his arms around Eddie’s waist, and he was quickly falling victim to the warm feeling in his heart whenever Richie held him. As he finally allowed himself to enjoy the kiss he was interrupted by Richie unlocking the door and pulling him inside.
“God, you’re so sexy, Eds,” Richie sighed as he closed the door by pressing Eddie against it.
“Yeah? What makes me so sexy?” Eddie challenged. Richie kissed him again, and Eddie hummed with delight.
“Everything…you…just you…fuck, when I touch you it’s like you’re trying to make me wanna grab you and fuck you against the closest hard surface,” Richie purred. Eddie whimpered and ran his fingers through his hair.
“Do it. Grab me and fuck me, Richie. I want it so badly. Want you to fuck me so good,” he cooed.
Richie groaned and pulled Eddie off the door so he could tug him into the bedroom. Eddie felt the usual thrill that came with hooking up, but he felt a little different as Richie laid him down and crawled on top of him. It was a good different. The look in the others eyes a little more eager, and the force of his kiss a little more desperate. Eddie fed off his extra energy and clawed at his shirt until he could peel it off. Gentle kisses lead up Eddie’s neck, and he let his eyes roll back as Richie caressed his hips. He pulled Eddie’s legs over his own hips, and squeezed the flesh through his jeans.
“Fuck…” Eddie sighed.
“How do you want it this time, baby? You want it hard like last time?” Richie hummed as he rolled his hips down against Eddie. He whimpered at the friction and nervously gripped the back of Richie’s neck.
“Mmh…fuck me the way you want to, Richie. Wanna make you feel so good,” Eddie cooed. Richie cursed and pressed his forehead against Eddie’s shoulder.
“That’s so hot, oh my god,” Richie wheezed. Eddie pouted impatiently and kissed the side of Richie’s head.
“Show me. Show me what you wanna do to me,” Eddie whispered.
The man on top of him groaned and kissed him hard on the lips. He then started stripping them, and Eddie bit his lip as he watched Richie pull off his jeans for him. Then he pulled off his own and Eddie helped him with their underwear. Once they were completely naked Richie was right back on top of him again, and Eddie could only moan with delight as Richie touched down his body. He took one hand away and stopped their kisses so he could lick his finger and rub it against his hole. Eddie let his head fall back as Richie rubbed circles against him, and then clenched his jaw when he easily pushed in from the left over lube Eddie used on himself earlier.
“Christ, did you prepare yourself earlier?” Richie asked in disbelief. Eddie has done it once or twice before, and Richie’s reaction was always worth it.
“Yeah…I didn’t wanna waste any time after we left. We haven’t actually had sex in like a month,” Eddie reminded him. Between life and work they had both only had time for handjobs and blowjobs. They occasionally dry humped, but that was when they might’ve had the time to have sex but we’re too tired.
“Fuck, has it really been that long? No wonder I’m going crazy about this,” Richie said as he pressed a second finger into Eddie’s loose hole.
“Ah! St-still use lube, you fucking idiot!” Eddie snapped. Richie laughed and then got up to open his nightstand. He pulled out a bottle and generously coated his fingers. They slid back in like they belonged there, and Eddie hummed with delight as he felt the stretch.
“There you go, baby. I bet that feels good, huh? Did you miss feeling how much I can stretch you?” Richie hummed. Eddie nodded and bit his bottom lip as Richie started curling his digits.
“Richie…holy shit…”
“God, this never gets old. You look so cute like this. So hot watching you squirm on my fingers, baby,” Richie rumbled and added a third. Eddie whimpered and turned his head out of embarrassment.
“Mmhhh…don’t…don’t call me that,” he sighed.
“What was that, sweetheart? You don’t want me to call you baby? You seem to love it though. I can feel you squeezing me every time I do it. You’re doing it right now, Eddie-baby. You got me so tight, I don’t think I should stop,” Richie murmured against his ear.
Eddie was drowning in his inability to deny the fact that he loved everything that Richie did to him. He loved it more than anything anyone else did to him, and it was hard to admit that everything was getting dangerously close to sickeningly romantic sex instead of the casual fucks that they usually engaged in. That worry was cemented when Richie started kissing the side of his head until he used his free hand to turn Eddie to look up at him. Instead of kissing him like Eddie craved, Richie merely looked at him and watched as he curled his fingers right against his prostate. Eddie’s brows pinched, and his eyes fluttered. He was well aware that Richie was still watching him, and he tried to turn his head again to fight the way it made his stomach flutter. Richie merely cradled the side of his face that he turned away and kissed his cheek.
“Are you ready, baby?” Richie cooed. Eddie nodded and peeked over when Richie pulled out his fingers and tore open the condom. He rolled it on, and then grabbed a pillow to stuff under Eddie’s hips as an afterthought. His hands gripped Eddie’s hips, like they were meant to touch him, and then they gently moved up his waist as he admired the naked man underneath him. “You’re so fucking beautiful, Eds,” he breathed. Eddie blushed.
“Richie…” he sighed. He shook his head.
“Like…holy fuck, you’re gorgeous,” he continued and touched him more. Eddie shivered under his light touches, and then arched his back. Richie groaned watching him, and then ducked back down to kiss him on the lips.
“Richie…mmh…put it in please…missed this so much…missed you…missed feeling you inside me,” Eddie cooed. Richie moaned in a rather pathetic way that Eddie had never heard before. It only turned him on more, and he tried to pull Richie closer with his legs around his waist. “Please…fuck me, baby,” he pleaded.
With that, Richie attacked Eddie with kisses as he rubbed the head of his cock against his hole. He’s never called Richie that before. It’s always been Richie who used that word. Eddie gasped with pleasure, and then rocked his hips up to try and get more. Richie finally gave him what he wanted, and they both moaned loudly as Richie finally sunk in. The heat between them was unlike any other hook up Eddie had before, including the hook ups with Richie himself, and it made him feel so pliant and loose as the other man started fucking him. He was gentle at first, and then steadily picked up speed as he kissed Eddie and moaned into his mouth. Eddie wasn’t much better at it either, and surrendered to the warmth and the affection the other man was showering him with.
“Fuck, you’re so hot,” Richie huffed. Eddie whimpered and raked his fingernails through his hair. Richie moaned with appreciation, and Eddie accepted his next kiss with plenary of tongue and spit.
“Mhh…feels so good…so good when you fuck me…fuck me harder, baby,” Eddie said.
“Oh my fucking god, Eds…you’re gonna make me cum if you keep calling me that,” Richie warned. Eddie pressed his lips tight together and moved his hips with Richie’s the best he could.
“Mh…Richie,” he rasped. Richie groaned and then did as he was asked. He gripped Eddie’s hips hard and pulled him into each thrust. The force made Eddie gasp, and he dug his nails into Richie’s shoulders as he made a wreck of him. “Richie! Fuck!”
“So cute. How do you do that? Look so cute even when you’re crying on my cock for more. You like it when I fuck you so hard you can’t speak? Look so adorable underneath me like this. Wanna fuck you like this every fucking day. Watch you fall apart and cum right in front of me all the time, baby,” Richie rambled while watching Eddie’s body writhe and twist under him. He reached back to grab the sheets, and when he opened his eyes long enough to look up he found Richie staring right back.
“I love it…love it when you fuck me like this…I want it all the time, Richie,” Eddie whispered. Richie dug his teeth so hard into his lip it started to bleed a little. He moved his hips with new vigor, and Eddie cried out in response. He was cumming within minutes of the new pace, and when Richie joined him he was overwhelmed with the heat and the hot breath spreading over his collarbones.
“Fuck…shit…” Richie huffed.
Eddie was still catching his breath, and when Richie pulled out he whimpered again. He was gifted with a gentle kiss on the lips before he stumbled off the bed and wobbled to the bathroom. A couple minutes later he returned with a damp warm towel, and Eddie let him clean up the cum across his chest and the wet lube between his legs. He returned to the bathroom to toss the towel into the sink, and then quickly retreated to the warmth of Eddie’s body and the blankets. Their bodies fit perfectly together as Richie crawled back on top of him and settled his head on Eddie’s chest. His fingers returned to his hair, and Eddie stared up at the ceiling as they calmed down. He pulled a blanket over them when Richie held him tighter, but he quickly felt another flutter in his stomach when he realized Richie didn’t do that because he was cold. He did it because he wanted to hold Eddie closer. Eddie liked to be held. He liked to be wanted. He wanted Richie to want him the most.
“Do you ever think about getting married?” Eddie asked. Richie hummed and then chuckled.
“Married? God, that’s such a straight thing to do,” he sighed.
“Kinda, but…not any more, remember? They legalized gay marriage last year in California,” Eddie said.
“I guess…I dunno. It’s hard to imagine,” Richie admitted.
“Me too…when Stan was asking me about bringing a plus one he was talking about me getting married and how he thought I’d be the first one in the group to have a wife. Hearing that just…made me realize how hard it was to see myself getting married,” Eddie said.
“I remember him talking about it too when we were kids. He said you’d be thirty five with a wife and a mortgage while we were still trying to get by,” Richie chuckled.
“…but I’m not, Richie. I’m not even close to getting married. I’ve never even had a real boyfriend. I’ve just…I’ve just been…fooling around,” he sounded sadder then he thought he was. Saying it out loud made him realize how much he craved actual companionship past the five minutes it takes to have an orgasm. Cuddling with Richie only solidified that.
“I mean…you’re still doing better then any of us. You’re still awesome Eddie spaghetti. You don’t need a boyfriend,” Richie assured him. Eddie sighed.
“Yeah, I don’t need a boyfriend. I just…” he trailed off and rubbed at his tired eyes. “Why do straight people get to get married and I can’t? Why is that only for straight people? Why do I feel like I can’t have a house that I share with a family? Why does that feel so impossible to me? It’s not like I need it, but it feels like I can’t even want it because it’s not for me. I’m doomed to die alone as a sinning faggot and then rot in hell,” Eddie blurted. Richie pushed himself up to look down at him, and pulled his hands away to see him crying.
“Eds…”
“Sorry…fuck, I just…fucking Stan kept asking me if I’m happy living like this, and…god, it’s just so easy for him to pick at it, huh? He’s had his fair share of bigoted assholes, but he’s never been told he can’t love the person he loves,” Eddie sniffled. Richie cupped his face and Eddie sighed.
“Yeah, he…he doesn’t really get it,” Richie agreed.
“I mean…he’s right. It does get exhausting. Having three or five guys in my messages at the same time. Never even entertaining the thought of settling down or, god forbid, making an actual connection past his dick in my ass. I’d fucking love to not worry about that and trust someone to give me that connection, but everyone just proves to be a total asshole,” he continued.
“I…yeah, Eds. It’s a really big problem. I experience it too.”
“God, and you’ve been hooking up with people since high school. How do you deal with that, Rich?” He asked. Richie hesitated for a moment and then shook his head.
“I mean…I don’t…not really. I guess the closest I get is that I find one person to stick with for the most part, and then just do random hook ups from time to time.”
“Like friends with benefits? Like what we do?” Eddie asked. He hated how hopeful he sounded.
“Uh…kinda…I have like my main squeeze, and then if they’re not available I find someone else for the night…but I usually just stick to that one person for a while. It’s…it’s easy to pretend that it means more when I try to stick to one person,” he explained. Eddie nodded.
“Right…so, you only really talk to one person at a time. How long?”
“Anywhere from two to eight months. I’ll be honest, Eds. I haven’t consistently slept with someone for as long as I’ve been sleeping with you, so…uh…it’s safe to say I consider you my main squeeze right now,” Richie confessed. Eddie felt his eyes sting again and he gently pulled Richie down for a kiss. It was brief, and when it broke Eddie pulled him the rest of the way for a hug. Richie hugged him back, and Eddie hated how good it felt to be held by him. It felt so good it hurt.
“Bevvy looked so happy when Ben proposed to her…I could never see myself like that. I could never see anyone propose to me. I could never see myself that happy with another person, and I can’t tell if it’s because I’ve been told my whole life that I don’t deserve it or if I’m just not monogamous,” Eddie sobbed. Richie moved back to sit on the mattress, and then pulled Eddie up so he could curl against his chest.
“I’m so sorry, Eds,” Richie whispered.
“Why are you sorry? This isn’t your fault,” he sniffled. Richie kissed the top of his head.
“No…but I know exactly how you feel, and I always thought I was the only one. The fact that you feel the same…just means that you’ve been hurting as much as I have, and…fuck it hurts me more that you’re in pain too,” Richie told him. Eddie frowned hearing that and wrapped his arms around his neck.
“Oh, Richie. That’s not fair to you either.”
“I’m a big boy, Eds. I can deal with it,” Richie murmured.
“Not very well. Neither of us are right now,” Eddie pointed out.
“Maybe…but at least it’s dealing.”
“Richie…” he pulled back to look at his friend. Richie met his eyes and they were getting as wet as Eddie’s. “…I’m so sorry,” he whispered. Richie shook his head.
“No need. It’s okay, Eds,” Richie assured him. Eddie sighed and then rested his cheek against Richie’s chest again. He let himself be held a little bit longer, and they eventually settled under the covers again to pass out.