Chapter Text
Richie was nervous, to say the least. Sure, he had been to Eddie’s house plenty of times before, but this time was different. With a shaky breath, he slowly got out of his car and shut the door behind him. Wiping his hands on his ratty jeans to wipe away the sweat, Richie made his way up to the door, his heart pounding in his chest. Letting out one last deep breath, Richie tapped his knuckles to the door, knocking three times in quick succession. Placing his hands in his pockets, he bounced on the balls of his feet waiting for Eddie to open the door.
After what felt like forever, the door slowly opened and Eddie’s face appeared. A bit of Richie’s nervousness faded when he saw his friend’s face and he quickly grinned to hide his anxiety.
“Hey Eds,” Richie purred, waiting for Eddie to close the door behind him, the two of them eager to get away from the house.
“Don’t call me that.” Eddie frowned as they walked back to Richie’s car, his own nervousness taking hold. Disregarding his own seatbelt, Richie pulled out into the street and drove off, smirking at Eddie’s panicked face as he tried to get his seatbelt on. They hadn’t actually planned on going any particular place, they just wanted to hang out together; Richie had decided on taking a walk around the woods, just wanting to be out in the open with some fresh air.
After a couple of wrong turns, the two finally made their way to the woods, Richie parking the car beside the Kissing Bridge. Richie glanced at the old wood for just a moment, his eyes lingering on the initials he had carved a couple years earlier and he smiled, following Eddie down into the thick bushes. As the two of them walked in a comfortable silence, Eddie glanced back at Richie, who was busy looking down at the ground, and gently grabbed his hand. Richie turned his attention to their now interlocked fingers and laughed.
“That’s pretty gay, Eds.”
“Shut up, Richie. Shut up.” With a grin still on his face, Richie adjusted his hand, so that it was more comfortable. Rubbing small circles with his thumb against Eddie’s skin, he led them deeper into the woods. The two of them didn’t say much during their walk, afraid that if they spoke just a bit too loud the moment would disappear and prove to just be a dream. Richie couldn’t help but stare at Eddie, his eyes refusing to leave Eddie’s face. His cheeks were slightly flushed, and his brows were furrowed slightly as he concentrated on the uneven ground in front of him. Richie, however, was too busy admiring Eddie to notice the root protruding from the ground and caught his foot on it, sending him flying forward towards the ground, bringing Eddie down with him. Landing with an “oof”, Richie looked up at Eddie who had fallen on top of him with a nervous grin.
“I guess you could say you’ve fallen for me.” Laughing and shaking his head, Eddie just laid there on top of Richie, picking pieces of leaves out of his curly hair.
“My mom would kill me for this,” Eddie snickered, resting his head on Richie’s chest. Richie nodded and laughed.
“Eddie! Get out of that dirt, you’re filthy! Do you know how many diseases you could get just by touching that leaf alone? And not to mention the bugs!” Richie’s impression of Eddie’s mother hadn’t improved in the slightest since they were in middle school, but it never failed to make the two of them laugh. “I can only imagine the look on her face if she saw you hanging out with me in the woods by ourselves, up to no good, obviously.” Richie moved a hand to the back of Eddie’s head and gently played with his hair. “Thanks for agreeing to come with me, by the way. I was scared that you were going to ditch me last second,” a nervous chuckle escaped his lips in the middle of his ramble. “But I’m glad you’re here with me now. I’ve wanted this for a long time, Eds.”
“Me too, Rich. Honestly, a part of me thought you would go for Stan, you know?”
“Stan? Really, Eddie?” Eddie only shrugged and closed his eyes, letting the wind blow through his hair. “No, he’s my best friend, but you’re my favorite person. No one is as cute as Eddie Kaspbrak.” With a groan, Eddie hid his face into Richie’s shirt, trying to mask the embarrassment.
“God, shut up.”
“I can’t wait for the day that I can tell the world that you’re mine. I’d be the envy of the town, Eddie Spaghetti! Everyone would wonder why such a cutie like you would be with a loser like me, and you know what? I’d wonder too. But I’d tell them it’s because you’re a loser too, but they don’t know that you’re the coolest kid I know. We’ll go to college together and move out of this stupid town, and we’ll be alright, Eds.”
Eddie had no response; how could he? Richie goddamned Tozier had just monologued some heartfelt speech without cracking a single joke. Smiling into Richie’s shirt, Eddie hugged himself closer to Richie, hoping that he would get the hint. He had always loved being able to unveil the vulnerable side of Richie, the one who would sit with him and help during a breakdown or stay by his side while he cried, but he loved when Richie would just go on some emotionally charged rant. It made Eddie feel trusted, and that was his favorite feeling in the world. He felt Richie shift underneath him, sitting up and pulling Eddie up onto his lap.
“You hungry? Because I sure am.”
“Sure, what for?”
“You.” Richie stared blankly at Eddie, waiting for some sort of reaction and grinning when he saw a red hue creep its way up his neck and face. “Want a burger or some shit?” Eddie nodded and stood up, pulling Richie up with him.
“You’re an ass, you know that?”
“You are what you eat.” Eddie smacked Richie’s arm with the back of his hand, leaving a mark on his skin. “Ow what the fuck?”
“Do you ever shut up?”
“Absolutely not, Eds.” Richie grabbed Eddie’s hand in his and led them out of the woods, slipping away from him once they reached the road. Neither of them had wanted to let go, but both of them knew the consequences of what might happen. Flashing Eddie a grin, Richie hopped into the car and revved the engine. “Time to go, Spaghetti Man.”
“Oh my God, don’t call me that.”
“You’re no fun.” Eddie rolled his eyes and slipped his seatbelt on, smiling to himself when Richie put his own on as well. As they drove off, Eddie leaned back in his seat and watched Richie as he drove. He had definitely grown into his glasses and didn’t look as much like a dweeb, but Eddie knew he would still be just as pretty even if Richie was the dorkiest looking person on Earth. Richie must have felt him staring and he glanced over at Eddie, now only halfway focused on the road. “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I’m not looking at you like anything.”
“Yes you are! You’ve got that gross lovey-dovey look in your eyes. Quit it, it’s freaking me out.” Laughing, Eddie just shook his head and continued to watch Richie. “It’s not fair, you can look at me, but I’m driving so I don’t get to see your cute face. You’re cheating.”
“Cheating? There’s nothing to cheat on, Rich.”
“I wanna be able to see you, but you’re distracting me. I’m gonna crash.” Richie fiddled with his glasses before pulling off onto the side of the road, his face flushed and his hands sweaty.
“Richie, what’s wrong?” Richie didn’t answer, he didn’t trust his voice. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath before turning to face Eddie.
“I just-” He ran a hand through his hair, his fingers getting slightly tangled in the curls. “I really like you, Eds, probably more than I should, and I’m nervous that I’m gonna do something to fuck this up. You make me so happy and I’m glad that you gave me this chance, but what if I scare you off? Or what if somebody finds out and you get hurt because of it?” Richie was looking anywhere but at Eddie, his eyes darting around the car purposefully avoiding the gaze of the other. Eddie was quiet for a moment, filling Richie with more dread than when he started speaking. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean-”
“Richie, I love you.” Now it was Richie’s turn to grow quiet. “You could never scare me off. We’ll just have to make sure that no one finds out, and if they do? We’ll deal with it then, but we’re okay. You’re okay. I knew what the consequences would be when I agreed to go out with you, Rich. I don’t regret my decision to be with you, I hope you know that.” Letting out a breathy laugh, Richie nodded and grabbed Eddie’s hand in his, giving it a quick squeeze before getting control of himself again and driving off, forgetting about their plan to go get food.
“You always know what to say, Eddie. I don’t know where I’d be without you.”
“Probably dead in a ditch somewhere.” Laughing, Richie nodded and made his way to the outskirts of town, parking his car behind some old, abandoned building. Eddie gave him a confused look. “What the hell are we doing out here?”
“I just want to spend some time with you away from prying eyes.” Richie unbuckled and climbed into the backseat, his long legs getting squished by the driver’s seat. Reaching in between the seat and the door, Richie pushed the seat forward, giving himself more room to sit. “Come back here, Eds.” Eddie slipped off his seatbelt and shuffled into the back with Richie, not bothering to scoot the seat up since he was small enough to fit.
They both sat with their backs to the windows, their legs outstretched in front of them, Richie’s feet sitting behind Eddie. Richie looked over Eddie’s form, smiling when he got to his face. He grabbed Eddie’s ankles and pulled him closer, bringing the two of them only inches apart. Cupping Eddie’s cheeks in his hand, Richie couldn’t help but giggle.
“Cute, cute, cute!” He felt Eddie’s face grow warmer as he pressed their foreheads together. God did he want to kiss him. Sure, Richie had kissed people before, but this time was different; this time it was with Eddie. Leaning back, he positioned Eddie, so that he was practically straddling him. Both of them knew what they wanted, but neither were willing to make the first move. “So how do you want to do this, Eds?”
“I don’t know! You’re the one with experience.” Richie shrugged and reached his hands up to drape them around Eddie’s shoulders. He leaned up close, pulling Eddie down to meet him halfway, but not enough to close the distance. They both let out nervous laughs, Eddie electing to hide his face in the crook of Richie’s neck. Richie knew that this was awkward, he could practically feel it in the air, but he was sure that Eddie was just as anxious. Pulling Eddie back up to look at him, Richie finally drew up the courage to actually kiss Eddie. Closing the gap between them, Richie softly pressed his lips to Eddie’s angling his head slightly so that their noses didn’t bump together awkwardly. He let Eddie take a minute to adjust to his rhythm before kissing him deeper, his hands digging into Eddie’s hips. Eddie was the first to pull away, his eyes closed and his breaths shaky. He held onto Richie’s shoulders, the best way he could think to stabilize himself.
“Are you okay?” Richie had slipped his hands up under Eddie’s t-shirt and was gently rubbing his thumbs back and forth across the smooth skin of his sides.
“No, yeah, I’m great.” Eddie was staring down at his lap, only looking up at Richie through his eyelashes. “You’re uh, you’re good at that.” Richie grinned, glad that their first kiss wasn’t a total disaster.
“So are you, Eds. For your first time.” Richie pressed his forehead to Eddie’s again; he could feel Eddie’s warm breath barely tickle his lips and the tip of his nose. “I’d love to do it again.”
“God, so would I.” And they did. Richie was thankful for the slight tint to his windows, just as an extra precaution. Rationally, he knew that they were the only two out there, but he couldn’t help but be worried. But when he felt Eddie’s hands comb through his hair, he decided that he could let go for just a moment.