Work Text:
“Oh, Eds is going to love you!”
Call him crazy, but Richie really thought that Eddie wouldn’t mind him bringing home a stray cat. He’s been around Bev’s cat numerous times for several hours at a time, and he wasn’t as bad about his germophobia as he used to be. Yeah, the cat looked like she had been through it, but surely a nice bubble bath would take care of her. She was very affectionate, and she didn’t have a collar or anything on her that suggested she had a home to go to. Richie was always a softy when it came to strays, but he was never allowed to take them in because of his parents. Now he’s twenty five years old and moved out. He paid his own bills with Eddie at their apartment, and their landlord never visited or gave a shit about the units so…why not?
“Let’s see if you have a microchip, huh?” Richie said as he picked up the cat. She had beautiful calico fur, and she purred very loudly in Richie’s arms as he carried her to his car.
He was in that neighborhood visiting Mike, and he was rather close to the local animal shelter. The cat made herself comfortable in the passenger seat and instantly took a nap on Richie’s bag. Richie didn’t care to push her off because he was just glad she was calm enough that he didn’t need a carrier. He arrived at the shelter in less than ten minutes after he found her, and was happy to find she didn’t have any microchip in her. They suggested that he leave her with them, but he quickly insisted that he wanted to adopt her. The lady at the desk instantly smiled and nodded excitedly. Apparently most people who drop off strays aren’t able to adopt them the same day, so she was happy to hear Richie wanted to take her. They gave her all of the shots and a check up with the vets they had on staff, and sent Richie home after he filled out her paperwork and adoption form. After that he went to the pet shop to pick up food and litter, and then finally headed back to the apartment.
“Honey! I’m home!” Richie called as he walked in. He had the bag of cat supplies over his shoulder, and the cat cradled in his arms like a baby.
“Rich, I swear to god. I hate it when you…why do you have a cat?” Eddie asked as he stepped into the living room. Richie grinned at him and tilted his arms to show her off better.
"Isn't she adorable? I just found her outside of Mike’s place. I brought her to the shelter and she didn’t have a microchip, so…I brought her home,” he said. Eddie glared at him and crossed his arms.
“Richie, why didn’t you call me? Or at least text me? This is incredibly irresponsible! You can’t just pick up a feral cat like that and bring her into our home without asking me first!” Eddie said. Richie pouted and held up the cat next to his face.
“But she’s so gentle and she’s so soft! Her fur is so long and fluffy, and she loves cuddles. How can you look at her face and say no?” Richie whined. Eddie’s mouth twisted in a way that Richie recognized when he was winning. He huffed and then walked over to gently take the cat from Richie’s arms.
“I’ll feel much better after she has a bath…but next time you want to adopt an animal at least tell me first,” he grumbled. Richie grinned again and followed Eddie into the bathroom.
“So we can keep her?” He asked. Eddie nodded and then handed her back to Richie so he could turn on the water.
“Yes. You know I like cats. I just want to be informed of what animals will be inhabiting our home,” he said pointedly as he turned on the water. The cat stayed calm despite the loud rush of water, and began licking Richie’s stubble as Eddie grabbed their bottle of baby shampoo from under the sink. It was one of the various things that Eddie kept in their medicine and first aid assortment for some random reason. Richie was more focused on the emphasis of the fact that they shared this home, but decided not to point it out since it gave him butterflies to think of how intimate their friendship really was.
“What should we name her?” Richie asked.
“I don’t know. How do you even know it’s a girl?” Eddie replied.
“Almost all calicos are females. Something about chromosomes,” Richie said.
“Okay, cats one oh one. What do you want to name her then?” Eddie snarked. Richie chuckled and then giggled as the cat licked closer to his ear.
“I dunno. Maybe Sally?” Richie suggested.
“Sally? Where did that come from?” Eddie asked.
“Nowhere? It just popped into my head.”
“But she’s a cat. She’d be better with like…a name like…Mittens…or…Callie…” Eddie said as he watched the cat lick Richie’s face. Richie raised his brow.
“Callie…because she’s a calico?” He asked. Eddie blushed.
“Maybe…”
“I think we should go with Sally. She seems like a Sally,” Richie insisted.
“Sure. I don’t really care as long as she gets cleaned. Give her here, the water is ready,” he said. Richie nodded and then handed Eddie their new kitty.
“The vet said that she’s about three, so not a super young cat anymore but definitely not old yet,” Richie said.
“So like us,” Eddie said. Richie smiled and nodded as Eddie easily set Sally in the warm soapy water. She didn’t really try to get out once Eddie set her down, and she didn’t seem to care once Eddie began pouring water over her back to get her soaked. The water only really reached her belly, and once Eddie got her wet enough he poured the baby shampoo over her. Once he started rubbing it in and creating suds Sally actually began to purr.
“No way…she’s actually purring?” Richie asked. Eddie hesitated and then nodded.
“Uh…yeah. I think she is,” he confirmed. Richie laughed.
“That’s crazy! We found the perfect cat! She likes water, and she stays still during car rides!” He said. Eddie nodded and then smiled as she butted her head against his bubbly hand.
“Bev is going to be so jealous…it takes her forever to clean Gerald when she has to bathe him,” he said. Richie cackled.
“Oh, she’s gonna kill us!”
They got Sally scrubbed and cleaned, and then they dried her off together with a towel and a hair dryer. The dryer managed to actually freak her out a little bit, so Richie held her still with the towel while Eddie dried off her long fur. A lot of it shed while she was in the water, but there was still a good amount of fluff in the bathroom from the hair dryer too. Once she was fully dry Eddie shooed them out and began vacuuming the bathroom to get all the little tufts of hair that got loose. Sally was much more calm once the loud humming turned off, and snuggled up easily on Richie’s lap. When Eddie returned from the bathroom he began to go through the things Richie picked up from the pet store. It was easy to see that he was less than impressed with Richie’s selection.
“Is this all? A pack of wet food and some litter? Where are her toys? Her bed? Her scratching tower?” Eddie asked. Richie pursed his lips sheepishly.
“I…didn’t want to get that incase you didn’t want to keep her,” he admitted. Eddie huffed and then grabbed his keys off the wall next to their front door.
“C’mon. She at least needs a bed,” he said. Richie perked up, and then followed Eddie out of their apartment with Sally still in his arms.
“Yessir!”
“Don’t call me that. It’s weird,” Eddie grumbled.
“Should I call you daddy? Since we’re cat dads now?” Richie teased. Eddie blushed.
“Absolutely not! God, that’s so gross,” he protested. Richie laughed.
“Aw, daddy is a little shy, huh Sal?” Richie cooed at their freshly bathed kitty. She meowed at him, and Eddie stopped as he realized Richie brought her with them.
“Why are you bringing her? Leave her at the apartment,” he said. Richie pouted.
“But then she’ll be lonely! It’s okay, Eds. She’s really good in the car. I promise!” He said. Eddie glared at him with his hands on his hips, so Richie pressed Sally’s face against his again to beg more efficiently. “Look at her wittow face…she’w be aw awone,” he said. Eddie’s brows furrowed, and then he groaned as he rolled his eyes.
“Fine, but she’s your responsibility! You can’t lose her,” he said. Richie giggled and followed Eddie out to his car.
“Sure thing! Daddy’s gotcha, Sally. I’m not gonna let you go,” Richie sang.
“Don’t call yourself that either. Jesus Christ.”
It was starting to get late, but luckily the pet store was still open when they got to it. Eddie pulled out a cart, and Richie kept Sally cradled in his arms. She seemed to like to be held like a baby the most, but whenever she got curious she flipped over so she could sniff everything in the aisles. Richie held her closer to the things she wanted to sniff more, and added all the treats she seemed to like into the cart. Eddie tried to discourage him from adding too many, but Richie managed to sneak more in after he said that. They picked up more toys than they needed, and a couple cardboard scratchers before they got to the towers. Eddie was looking at the biggest one, and Richie wore a big grin as he encouraged him to get it. He blushed, and took Sally as he told Richie to put it in the cart.
“Alright, and your total is five hundred sixty three,” the cashier said.
“Eds, we should get her a tag!” Richie said as he looked at all the tags at the check out.
“Grab one before I find my credit card,” Eddie said.
“Do you want the star or the heart?” Richie asked.
“I don’t care,” Eddie replied.
“Don’t worry about it when daddy says he doesn’t care. He’s just being silly,” Richie cooed at Sally. He picked out the heart shaped tag, and then handed it to the cashier. She accepted it and scanned it.
“Five hundred and seventy two,” she said.
“Jesus,” Eddie muttered, and then pushed his card into the machine.
“How do we get these engraved?” Richie asked, holding up the tag. The cashier pointed over her shoulder.
“Machine in the back. It’ll tell you what to do. Only an idiot can mess it up,” she said. Richie nodded, and then carried Sally with one hand as he put the last of the bagged items back in their cart.
“Receipt?” The cashier asked.
“Email is fine,” Eddie said. She nodded and then waved them off.
“Have a good night,” she said. Eddie nodded back and then followed Richie to the machine.
“What did we buy again?” Eddie asked.
“A tag for her collar! I got a little heart and we can engrave it,” Richie said.
“What would we even put on it?” Eddie asked.
“Our phone numbers. Her name. A little note or something. I dunno,” Richie said as he turned the machine on. “Oh! We can engrave the front and the back!”
“Alright. Put her name on the front and then our numbers on the back,” Eddie said.
“Good idea…or I can say ‘Eds and Richie’s baby’ and then four twenty sixty nine on the back,” Richie said. Eddie stared at him, and Richie nodded before he could even think of continuing that joke. “Gotcha. Name and number is good enough.”
“Thank you,” Eddie sighed. He took Sally as Richie started punching in the information, and it was cute to see her snuggle against him just as easily as she did with Richie.
“Should we just leave it as Sally? It’s kinda…blank,” he said.
“What else would we put?” Eddie asked.
“Uh, maybe Sally Tozier? Or Sally Kaspbrak?” He asked.
“But we both own her, right? Or did you want only one of us to keep her?” Eddie asked. Richie felt his face get a little hot. Oh, the implications of co-owning an animal.
“We can both own her! I just didn’t know if you wanted both of our names on it or just one,” Richie said. Eddie was quiet for a moment.
“We can hyphen it,” he murmured. Richie nodded and then hovered his fingers over the ‘K’.
“…Kaspbrak-Tozier, or Tozier-Kaspbrak?” Richie asked. He looked back to see Eddie’s brow raised, and he chuckled before pressing the K. “Why did I even ask?”
The tag was engraved in less than a minute with a laser, and once it popped out they attached it to the collar they bought for her. Eddie held her as Richie snapped it around her neck, and she dealt with it rather well as Richie pushed the cart out of the store. He drove them to give Eddie a chance to hold her longer, and then he carried most of the stuff up to their apartment. Eddie went down to grab the rest of it once they got up there, and Richie began setting up the litter box and the scratching tower as he did so. Once he came back upstairs Richie almost had it completely built, so Eds focused on setting up the pop up tunnel toys. He rearranged their living room so they had more space for her to roam around, and he placed her bed close to the window so she could sunbathe. Sally watched them curiously from the couch once it was settled in its new place, and Eddie got along with her very well. Richie gathered the trash from everything, and smiled as he watched Eddie crouch in front of the couch to pet her silky fur.
“Isn’t she super soft?” Richie asked. Eddie nodded, but didn’t look away from her cute green eyes. Richie sneakily pulled out his phone from his hoodie, and then quietly snapped a picture of them together. He got a great photo of Sally butting her head against Eddie’s forehead as he giggled, and then posted it to his Instagram story before continuing his path to their garbage and recycling.
“You really just found her outside of Mike’s apartment? Are you sure no one is looking for her?” Eddie asked.
“Yup! She wasn’t microchipped and she didn’t have a collar. She’s super friendly so she probably lived with humans before,” Richie replied.
He opened the fridge while he was in the kitchen, but couldn’t help but peek into the living room again to watch Eddie snuggle with their new cat. He’s always had a soft spot for Eddie. That’s his very subtle way of saying that he has a giant crush on his best friend. Either way, he liked Eddie a lot, and seeing him with an adorable cat was doing more to his heart than he anticipated. When they were kids Eddie always scolded Richie for petting the stray cats on their street, but he could see the way he watched that he wanted to pet them too. He always suspected Eddie wanted a pet cat, but they never really talked about it. In all honesty, Richie really did scoop up Sally because he thought Eds would love her.
Richie’s train of thought was interrupted when his phone rang in his pocket, and he realized he was blatantly leaning against their kitchen doorway staring at Eddie and Sally. He shook his head, and then turned back to the kitchen to answer his phone.
“Hello?” He said.
“Um! When the fuck did you get a cat and why didn’t you immediately tell me?” Beverly asked. Richie chuckled and then opened the pantry to grab a box of Mac and cheese.
“Relax, freckles. We just got her today,” Richie said.
“I fucking hate you, Richie Tozier! I told you a million times! If you get a cat you have to let me know so that Gerald can have a friend,” she said.
“Gerald can be her friend. She’s very sweet. We named her Sally,” Richie said.
“Oh my god, that’s so cute! I’m coming over now,” Beverly said.
“With Gerald?” Richie asked.
“Don’t be silly, Rich. Sally needs time to adjust,” Beverly said. Richie chuckled.
“Which is why you’re coming over with Geralds smell all over you?” He asked.
“Precisely. See you in ten,” she said before hanging up. Richie sighed, and then put his phone away. He pulled out the milk and butter he needed for the Mac and cheese, and then jumped when he noticed Eddie in the doorframe holding Sally.
“Was that Bevvy?” He asked. Richie sighed.
“Geez, don’t scare me like that, Eds,” he said.
“Well? Was it?”
“Yup! She’s coming over to meet Sally,” he said. Eddie stroked her soft fur, and watched Richie get their dinner started.
“But we just got her,” he mumbled. Richie looked over to see Eddie shyly nuzzling against Sally’s fur, and felt the urge to call Bevvy back and tell her to come another time. He cleared his throat and then pulled out a pot to boil the water for their macaroni.
“She won’t be here for long, okay? You can have Sally all to yourself once she’s gone,” Richie assured him. Sally looked very comfortable in Eddie’s arms. They really seemed to bond rather quickly.
“Like…she can sleep in my room tonight?” He asked. Richie nodded.
“She can sleep in your room every night if you want,” he assured him. Eddie frowned.
“Well…that’s not very fair to you. She’s your cat too,” he said. Richie chuckled and filled the pot with water.
“Don’t worry about me, Eds. I sleep better alone anyways. Never kept a hook up overnight. I’m a massive blanket hog,” Richie assured him. Eddie was quiet for a moment, and when Richie turned to carry the pot to the stove he looked pensive.
“…she can sleep in your room if you ever want her…but she’ll sleep in my room if you don’t want her,” he decided. Richie nodded.
“Sounds good to me, Eds,” he said. Eddie nodded, and then scratched under Sally’s chin.
“Good.”
Beverly arrived before Richie could finish making their dinner, so they mostly hung out in the kitchen as he finished it up. Eddie continued to hold Sally for the majority of Beverly’s visit, but eventually and reluctantly let Bev hold her for a little bit so he could accept his bowl of Mac and cheese from Richie. They ate as they told her how they got her, and she easily adored Sally just as much as they did. Sally seemed to be comfortable no matter who’s arms she was in, but Richie could tell that she liked Eddie the most. Beverly left once they finished eating, and Eddie happily took Sally back once she got her stuff and gave them hugs goodbye. After that he left Sally in the living room to help Richie with the dishes, but she quickly followed them and butted against their legs as they cleaned up together. She was absolutely adorable, and Richie smiled on his way to the shower as he watched her follow Eddie into his bedroom. Yeah. Taking her home was a good idea.
The first week they had with Sally was very fun. Eddie came up with a system for her litter box, and purchased a tiny trash can that they put little doggie bags in as its liner. He told Richie to scoop anything in the box into the trash can, and then they’ll take it out whenever it gets full. The can kept the smell sealed away pretty well, and with the doggie bags they didn’t have to worry about it getting too messy or anything like that. Plus, they were biodegradable, so they didn’t have to worry about wasting plastic. He also has a system for her food and water, and told Richie to take care of her food in the evening since he was more of a night owl and Eddie would feed her in the morning since he worked earlier than him. They had a self dispensing water bottle, so they would only have to worry about that when it ran out. He also had a system for her toys, and explained to Richie that he read somewhere online that cats like to have their toys rotated so they don’t get bored of their things and need constant new toys to play with. He kept three or four out at a time, and kept the rest in a little box for later. He said they would switch them out whenever she seemed to get bored of her current toys. Needless to say, Richie was more than impressed with Eddie’s tenacity for Sally. He was happy to see how happy Eddie was with her, and then felt guilty as he realized his happiness was almost purely selfish.
Eddie has been Richie’s best friend since they were boys. They grew up together, and Eddie was Richie’s first love. He was his gay awakening, and his childhood crush. He still loved him more than a friend, but he had learned to accept that he and Eddie would never be anything more than friends. It wasn’t anything to do with sexuality. He honestly had no idea if Eddie was gay or straight or bi. The only person Eddie had ever dated was Greta back in college, but that was a weird combination and he was miserable for the entire relationship. Richie suspected Greta only asked him out as a prank, but maybe actually liked him as things went on. They were together for less than a year, and by the end of it Eddie was sick of her. She hasn’t been in their lives since they moved out of Derry and into Portland. Richie was glad that she never bothered to keep in touch.
“Hey, Richie?” Eddie asked. Richie looked up from his phone at his friend. He was on the couch with Sally curled up on his chest as he read an article Stan sent him earlier. They had Sally for almost a month at that point.
“What’s up?” He replied. Eddie glanced at the cat on Richie’s chest, and he smiled as he predicted what he was going to say.
“Could I have her?” He asked. Richie nodded and stroked her fur again. She chittered and nuzzled closer under Richie’s chin.
“Sure thing. Any time, Eds,” he replied. Eddie frowned.
“But she’s so comfortable…I shouldn’t take her,” he said.
“She’ll be fine. Don’t worry about it. Once you scoop her up and get to cuddling she won’t even notice she was moved,” Richie assured him. Eddie shook his head.
“No. You always let me take her and then she wakes up and goes back to you,” he pointed out. Richie frowned too.
“Well…uh…I mean we could always cuddle with her…together?” He suggested. Eddie suddenly blushed bright red, and Richie had a feeling his own face wasn’t too far off from his color either. They’ve cuddled before, but…that’s when they were teenagers.
“I—“
“We don’t have to though! I just…that’s just an option,” Richie stammered. Eddie nodded.
“Right…I just never thought about it before,” he said. Richie chuckled nervously.
“Really? C’mon, Eds. We used to cuddle all the time in middle school. Remember the hammock? In the clubhouse?” He asked. Eddie frowned and crossed his arms.
“You call that cuddling? I call that you hogging the hammock when we clearly decided to have a ten minute rule to take turns so we could all have a turn on it,” he snarked. Richie grinned hearing that.
“Is that why you fell asleep so fast when we shared it?” He teased. Eddie rolled his eyes, and then climbed onto the couch next to Richie so he could pet Sally’s fur.
“Fuck you,” Eddie grumbled and then buried his face into Sally’s belly. Richie merely smiled, and felt his heart flutter with Eddie pressed so close to his side.
“Well if you want to so badly you could’ve just said so, sweetheart. I’m free every night,” he replied. Eddie said nothing and instead rubbed his face all over Sally’s fur. He did that a lot, and Richie found it absolutely endearing.
It was now a regular thing for Eddie to join in on Richie and Sally’s cuddle sessions. Usually they ended with Sally in Eddie’s lap, as they wanted, but sometimes it ended with Sally getting annoyed with both of them cuddling her at the same time and her jumping off the couch to escape to her scratching tower. That usually left Richie and Eddie alone on the couch in the middle of their movie and awkwardly trying to decide if they should continue cuddling together or if they should break it up. The first couple times they broke it up, but after the third time Eddie merely turned his body more towards Richie and leaned his head against his chest. After that…they always continued cuddling. Richie would be lying if he said he didn’t love it, but he was always cautious to make sure he didn’t take it too seriously to go too far. It was just platonic cuddling with his roommate that he was in love with. Nothing else.
“Hey…Eds?” Richie whispered. It was much later than they usually stayed up, and Eddie had Sally curled up tight in his lap. He was quiet with his head against Richie’s shoulder, and he hadn’t said much during the last hour of the movie they were watching.
“Hm…”
“Eds…the movie is over,” Richie said a little bit louder.
“Mm…no…” he murmured before turning closer to Richie, and slipping his arm around his. Richie blushed.
“Eddie…sweetheart, it’s time for bed,” Richie cooed. Sally wasn’t too happy with Eddie moving, and decided to get off his lap. She hopped off the couch, and then trotted her way towards Eddie’s room. “Sally just went into your room. You should go with her so she sleeps better.”
“Mmh…I wanna stay…a little longer,” he protested. Richie sighed and smiled before turning off the TV. It was pretty dark in their apartment, but Eddie had his lamp on in his room. Richie could at least see where he was supposed to go, so he gently scooped Eddie up and carried him to bed. He almost immediately clung to Richie’s chest, and shoved his face into his armpit.
“Mm…put me down,” he grumbled. Richie laughed and then gently placed him on his mattress next to Sally.
“I was planning on it,” Richie assured him. Before he could turn away, Eddie grabbed his arm. He looked down to see his eyes open, and felt his heart skip at the sight of his pouty lips.
“Stay,” he whispered. Richie blinked and then furrowed his brows in confusion.
“You…you want me to stay?” He asked. Eddie nodded and pulled on his sleeve to try and get him closer.
“Please. I won’t be able to fall back asleep for hours if I’m alone,” he said. Richie glanced at the door, and then back at Eddie’s wide brown eyes. He knew he could never resist him…
“Let me get the door and the lamp, okay?” Richie said.
Eddie nodded and then let go of him. He left the door open a crack just so Sally could use the bathroom, and then he turned off the lamp in the corner. They were already in their casual clothes since it was the weekend, so Richie didn’t really need to get changed to crawl into bed with Eddie. He tried to keep some space between them, but instantly felt Eddie tug on his wrist to pull him closer once he was under the comforter with him. They were so close that they touched, and Eddie arranged Richie’s arm over his waist. Sally was sleeping in front of Eddie, and Richie could see his fingers softly stroking her fur as he drifted off. That made Richie smile, and then finally relax against Eddie’s back as he spooned him.
“Goodnight, Eds…night Sally,” Richie murmured. Eddie hummed in response.
“Night, Richie…hm…love you,” Eddie mumbled. Richie chuckled, but felt a tug on his heart. If only he knew how much Richie loved him.
“Love you too, Eds…sleep tight, baby.”
It was easy to forget how quickly Richie fell asleep with Eddie. Whenever they shared the hammock in the clubhouse he was always fast to follow Eddie when he noticed he passed out. Something about the warmth that they shared, and the way their bodies fit together so nicely made it the most comfortable position Richie has ever been in. This time was no different, and Richie was out within minutes of snuggling up against Eddie and nuzzling against his hair. He still had the same shampoo from their childhood, and it instantly made Richie feel nostalgic. He missed being this close with Eddie all the time. He missed the little play fights they had and the cuddling and the touching. He missed it so much. It’s not like they made a conscious effort to stop it all. It’s more like…they grew up. They weren’t rambunctious little boys anymore. Although their friends would say otherwise, they still understood that roughhousing wasn’t always appropriate. Richie only did it when they were young so that he had an excuse to touch Eddie anyway.
The next morning Richie woke up first. Sally was pawing at his face, and when he opened his eyes she was meowing at him. He sighed and then stretched before getting up to feed her. Usually Eddie fed her in the mornings, but he didn’t wake up at the same time on his weekends so Richie always did it for him. He tried to discourage Richie from doing it, but Richie didn’t care. He’d rather let Eddie sleep in. It was easy to untangle himself from his friend, and when he pulled away he was still fast asleep. So he quickly left the room and went into the kitchen to open up a new can of food for Sally. They gave her half a can in the morning and then the other half at night, and they gave her treats in the middle of the day if they were home. Richie scooped out the food with a spoon, and plopped it in her dish before covering the can with one of the Martha Stewart Pet’s silicone covers that Eddie bought. He put it in the fridge, and then shuffled his way back to bed. He briefly contemplated going to his own bed, but ultimately decided to return to Eddie since he knew his bed was already warm and waiting for him. When he stepped in Eddie was still sleeping, but when he closed the door he was starting to get restless and turned onto his back.
“Mm…Richie?” He murmured.
“Right here, Eds,” Richie cooed as he approached the bed again. He crawled under the covers while Eddie rubbed at his eyes, and then smiled as Eddie blinked at him.
“Where’d you go?” He asked.
“I fed Sally. She’s gobbling it up right now,” he said. Eddie sighed and flopped his head back on the pillows.
“Richie, I told you a million times. I’ll feed her in the mornings. You just gotta wake me up on the weekends,” he grumbled. Richie chuckled, and then shyly slipped his arm back around Eddie’s waist. Did he still want Richie to be that close? Or was he just super tired last night when he reached for him?
“It’s no worries, Eds. She’s my cat too,” he reminded him. Eddie continued to pout, and then gently touched Richie’s wrist over his tummy.
“Yeah…but…I don’t want you to do all the work while I get most of the cuddles,” he said.
“I get some cuddles. I’m satisfied,” Richie assured him. Eddie sighed again and stroked the hair on Richie’s forearm.
“I always wanted a cat when we were little…I’m guessing you already knew that though,” he said. Richie chuckled and nodded.
“Yeah. I did too. They’re very cute, aren’t they?” Richie said. Eddie nodded and snuggled a little closer against Richie.
“‘M sorry if I made things weird last night. I just…I kinda missed this…with you,” Eddie said. Richie felt his heart jump.
“…yeah?” He asked. Eddie nodded, and Richie carefully began to stroke his side. He was still wearing his sweatshirt from last night, but he could feel his figure almost perfectly through the fabric.
“Yeah…I mean…it’s not like the hammock was too small for us. I liked sharing it with you,” he admitted. Richie chuckled, and then pressed his lips against the top of Eddie’s head. It wasn’t a kiss, but he wished it was.
“Me too…it was nice,” he murmured. Eddie nodded, and then touched more of Richie’s arm. His fingers crawled up to his bicep, and Richie hoped that the small amount of muscle he gained since their teenage years was noticeable and impressive.
“I keep…thinking…about…I keep thinking about…that,” Eddie stammered. Richie was quiet. Usually Eddie wasn’t so uncertain of his words. If anything, his words were the only thing he was confident in.
“About the hammock?” Richie asked. Eddie shook his head.
“No. I mean…I keep thinking about us. I keep thinking about…how comfortable I feel when I’m around you, and…how much I like living with you. I like sharing Sally with you, and…I like being with you,” Eddie said. Richie’s heart was definitely racing.
“Eds—“
“Like I know that you’re gay. It’s not like you were hiding it. I wasn’t exactly…embracing the fact that I like men too, and…I think I’ve always been scared to say it,” Eddie continued. Richie didn’t want to jump to conclusions for the sake of his own heart, but the fact that Eddie was talking about all of these seemingly random things made him want to find a connection. What possible connection could there be with Eddie feeling comfortable with Richie and liking men?
“You don’t have to…Eds, it’s not about coming out to other people. It’s about being happy,” Richie assured him. Eddie sighed and shook his head.
“But I’m not happy, Rich…at least…I’m not as happy as I wish I could be. I’m happy with you, but…” he trailed off. Richie decided to hold Eddie closer, and hugged him tight as he sniffled.
“What’s wrong, Eds? What do you need?” Richie asked. Eddie clung to him tight, and then buried his face into Richie’s neck. He sniffled again, but it was wetter this time.
“Nothing…I shouldn’t need anything else, but…” he held Richie tighter. “…everything has been so amazing…taking care of Sally together and living together…I’m so happy, Richie…but…I still want more.”
“More of what, sweetheart? What do you need?” Richie repeated. Eddie let out a soft sob.
“Just…more. I want…more. I want you…and I want to be with you everyday,” Eddie said. Richie felt his heart throb.
“Eds…baby, you have me. You have me all the time,” Richie assured him. Eddie sighed and then shook his head as he pulled away. His eyes were red and glassy, and his nose was just as rosy.
“Richie, I love you,” he croaked. Richie blinked. There was no way he meant that the way Richie meant that.
“Eds…”
“An—and before you say you love me too! I just…not like that. Okay? I don’t mean it like that. I mean it like…I love you,” he said earnestly. Richie could only stare at him with his mouth open. Eddie sniffled again, and then wiped his eyes. “I just…I never knew how to deal with it. The way I feel about you is…so much. I thought you’d never feel the same way, but…this experience taking care of Sally together is just…it’s forcing me to realize just how much I love you.”
“Eds…”
“And you don’t have to say it back, okay? I know it’s a lot, and…I’m sorry if this is putting you on the spot, and it’s really not any pressure on you to feel the same and—“
Eddie didn’t have a chance to say anything else after that. Hearing his confession made Richie snap, and he moved on autopilot when he pulled Eddie closer to kiss him. Trying to form words was much too difficult for him, and between how recently he just woke up and how delicate the conversation was he couldn’t even begin to think of what he wanted to say. All he knew was that he loved Eddie more than anything, and hearing him reciprocate that was incredible. He’d go as far as to say it was almost impossible, and when their lips met he was certain he was still fast asleep and dreaming. Eddie kissed him back and held Richie’s cheek as he pressed his body as close as he could manage. With how tightly Richie held him he didn’t make much of a difference, but feeling the pressure and the desperation was more than enough. When their lips parted they both were eager to continue, and neither let up enough to give the other the lead. They were perfectly matched in every way imaginable.
“Mh…Richie…ah…” Eddie muttered between kisses. Richie merely continued to kiss him, and welcomed the hands grabbing at his shirt. “…hm…fuck…”
“I love you…god, I love you so much,” Richie finally spoke. His heart was racing faster than it’s ever gone before, and he couldn’t bear to keep their lips parted for long before he continued their kisses again. Eddie happily accepted every push against him, and then wrapped his arms around Richie’s neck to keep them as close as possible.
“Richie…oh my god…” Eddie huffed. He rested his forehead against Richie’s, but Richie pursued his neck instead to give him a breather. Eddie stroked his hair as Richie showered him with affection, and then giggled. Richie smiled with him, and nuzzled under his jaw before blowing a raspberry against his throat. He squealed, but didn’t try to pull away.
“Richie! Fuck off! Oh my god!” He laughed. Richie laughed with him and then returned their foreheads together.
“Sorry. Couldn’t resist,” he said. Eddie sighed and then cupped his cheek again.
“How long?” He asked quietly. Richie hesitated, and then licked his lips.
“Since we were kids…and uh…the whole time too,” he admitted. Eddie pouted and then stroked his cheek.
“Richie…”
“I just…I didn’t want to ruin anything between us. All that matters to me is that you’re happy,” Richie said. Eddie sighed and shook his head.
“You make me happy,” he murmured. Richie felt his throat burn, and he let out a shaky sigh as he leaned closer. He buried his face against Eddie’s shoulder, and melted in the other man’s embrace.
“You make me happy too, Eds…”
“You really couldn’t tell how much I wanted you? God, even when I dated Greta I’d only want to hang out with you,” Eddie said. Richie chuckled and then pulled away to look at him.
“No way! I was too focused on trying not to be so obvious,” he said. Eddie giggled with him, and they smiled as they met for another sweet kiss. It was interrupted when Sally hopped onto the bed, and Eddie gasped before hiding under the covers out of embarrassment. Richie laughed.
“You scared us, Sal! Holy shit,” he said.
“Fuck, I wasn’t expecting her to do that,” Eddie sighed. He welcomed her as she crawled between them, and they both stroked her soft fur as she purred. Richie smiled down at them, and felt content with his little family.
“I love you, Eds…”
“I love you too, Richie.”
Link to Mads’ wonderful art!!