Loving Richie was easy. Sure, he could be a little annoying and obnoxious, he liked to argue over things he knew Eddie was right about, and he liked to turn almost everything into a competition but he had good qualities too. Richie was charming, he was sociable, and he was actually pretty funny. Eddie, of course, would never admit that one. Beyond that, however, he had this softer, sweeter side to him. That sappy romantic part of him that he'd tried to cover up but that shone so brightly when they were together. He was pretty thoughtful and he listened. It didn't matter what stupid shit Eddie was ranting about, Richie might tease him or argue with him but he'd always listened. There was something else too. Something that Eddie was so sure no one else would get. Richie made him feel normal. Sure, he made him feel special too and that one was great but it didn't have quite the same weight behind it. Richie had always made him feel like he fit in, like he had a place even during moments when Eddie wasn't sure he was. He'd never been afraid to be a little rough, never treated Eddie like he was made of glass. It just meant so much.
As a kid he'd never dared hope for this. Derry and his mother wouldn't allow it and he'd always sort of told himself it was in his head. It wasn't until years later, after fear had almost lead to Richie's death, when they were about to descend towards that nightmare clown's lair that he had realized he'd never been imagining things. Richie loved him. He hadn't necessarily understood in what way then... though he sort of had a feeling he knew the answer to that one too. There was always a look in Richie's eyes that the other couldn't quite cover up with jokes about his mom. These days he understood, he knew, that Richie was in love with him. He didn't understand why but he was glad that the other man was because Eddie was in love with him too.
There was no need to say it. He knew it but Richie needed to hear it. He needed to know it was still true even after Eddie had been stupid and nearly ruined things.
Expressing it in other ways was good too. Like kissing or those hands squeezing his ass while they kissed. He wasn't pulling away or trying to convince Richie to place those hands elsewhere. He actually did want the shorts off. He didn't want to break the kiss again in order to tell Richie that he was allowed to take them off if he wanted to. That seemed like it might be putting pressure on him. So he allowed it happen. He let Richie hook his thumbs into the waistband of his shorts and start to inch them off. Maybe a soft whine escaped his lips into the kiss but Eddie had always been the impatient sort. Richie knew that.