Eddie couldn't help but laugh because he recognized that the other was only teasing. If Richie had been serious, well, Eddie would've had to figure out something to do about it. Like, maybe, press kisses to every inch of his skin until Richie knew he was attractive.
The other man seemed a little too distracted to be serious though, his eyes weren't even really on Eddie's face anymore. He was just admiring parts of his body and, oddly enough, Eddie didn't mind. He thought he'd feel a little more nervous about it. A little anxious and worried about letting the man he was sure he wanted to spend the rest of his life with see this much of himself. He'd never really thought much about his body beyond the old fears that it was rotting from the inside out. Myra had never even paid him a compliment. Having someone appreciate it now was, well, it was good.
Okay, look, maybe a 16 year old Richie would've been making moves and, maybe, he would've already been tangled up in his best friend. There was no guarantee that a 16 year old Eddie would've actually let him get very far. Not when they'd have to worry about his mother hearing or when he'd have to slink off back home later. 40 year old Eddie didn't have a mother to worry about. Besides that, the fear they both felt at 16 over who they were and what they wanted would've put the breaks on things before they even began.
Neither of them had to worry about that anymore. Maybe they both had bad days where they were still afraid of themselves. Where stepping out into the world, even this small pocket universe, as a gay man weighed on them but they had each other. That mattered. It helped. At least, it helped Eddie. Doing the scary things with Richie at his side made a difference.
He kissed back up along Richie's neck, smiling against his skin at the pleading. "If that's what you want..." He murmured, fingers curling in the messy hair, just enough to give those curls a playful tug. It was a little too long. Richie needed to get it cut. He almost laughed at the thought because that really had no place in what they were doing but it was amusing. Instead of thinking about it too much he ducked his head to press kisses to that unmarked skin, choosing a spot to bite down upon just a little harder, just enough that Richie would feel in before sucking a bruise into the skin.