Ship; reddie

Smut

By reddieforlove on Ao3

Eddie has a problem. To fix it, he goes to extreme measures and calls a phone sex hotline. Little does he know that the person who he matches up with will change everything.
Part three

~

"I have an idea."

It had been over two weeks since that second phone call. Eddie had talked to Richie several more times since, growing closer to him each time. They didn't go much further than they did that night. Richie would have Eddie imagine them holding hands, kissing lightly, kissing deeply, even cuddling. But they hadn't gone any further than that and he was feeling pretty ready to move it along.

"What's your idea?" Eddie said.

Richie sounded pretty hyped up about whatever it was.

"You okay with taking off your shirt?" he asked.

Eddie felt a jolt of excitement, realizing that they might be finally moving along.

"Yeah," he said, nodding his head. "I am."

"You sure?" Richie asked.

"No kid gloves," Eddie replied.

It was a conversation they'd had in the fourth phone call. Eddie told Richie that he was grateful that they were taking it slow but he didn't want Richie second-guessing him when he felt like he wanted to move to the next step.

"Whatever you say, Eds," Richie said, backing off immediately.

Eddie felt grateful for it.

"Should I do it now?" he asked.

Once Richie confirmed that he should, he tugged his shirt over his head and sat in the middle of his bed in nothing but a pair of light blue pajama pants, waiting to hear what Richie had in mind.

"I've done some research on sexual repression," Richie said bluntly once Eddie confirmed that his shirt was gone.

The term almost made Eddie flinch, just like it had the first time Richie said it, but they'd agreed to be completely open with it. There was nothing to be ashamed of. Eddie had repeated that to himself many times even when he wasn't on the phone with Richie. He wasn't somehow wrong for being afraid of sex or intimacy just like he wasn't disgusting for wanting it either.

"What did you find?" Eddie asked nervously.

"A few things we can do together," Richie said, sounding hopeful. "I'm gonna talk you through it, that okay?"

Eddie took a deep breath and let himself calm for a moment before answering.

"Yes."

"I want you to find a mirror," Richie said.

Eddie balked at that.

"A-a mirror?" he repeated.

"Yeah, find a mirror and stand in front of it."

Eddie scanned the room and his eyes fell on the full-length mirror that hung over his closet door. He liked knowing exactly how his clothes looked before he left his apartment so it was a good addition to the room. Very slowly, he slid off of the bed and crossed over to stand in front of it. But he didn't look, staring down at his feet.

"Okay," he said warily.

"Are you looking at yourself?" Richie asked.

"No," Eddie said quietly.

There was a large part of him that really didn't want to. He was too afraid to confront the fact that he didn't like what he saw.

"Look, baby," he encouraged.

Eddie swallowed hard before lifting his eyes slowly. His stomach twisted a little as he took in his reflection.

"You doing it?" Richie asked.

"Yes," he whispered, still holding the phone to his ear.

"Now you're gonna tell me something that you see about yourself that you like," Richie instructed him.

Eddie's mouth dropped open and he saw his own eyes reflecting surprise back at him.

"Richie..." he said, shaking his head.

"You can do this, Eds. C'mon, tell me one thing."

Eddie scanned his reflection, taking in every single little detail about himself that he could see. His hair was slightly messy from taking off his shirt. There were bags under his eyes leftover from finals week. There was a scar on his abdomen from getting his appendix taken out three years ago. He had a naturally small, slim figure but a soft tummy.

"I don't know," Eddie said, his voice breaking a little as tears filled his eyes.

'Tell me what you see. Describe yourself for me."

Eddie didn't want to do it. He didn't want Richie to see him like he saw himself.

"My-my hair is longer than it's been in a while," he said, trying his best not to let a tear fall. "It's messy."

"I bet it's so soft, Eds. I bet I'd love running my fingers through it. I'd make it even messier. Can you imagine it? How nice it would feel?" Richie asked.

Eddie nodded, rubbing at his eyes to make his tears go away.

"It would feel really good," he agreed.

"What else?" Richie encouraged him.

"My freckles..." he trailed off, letting his eyes dart over his cheeks and nose. "I went to the park with my friends the other day and we stayed out in the sun for a long time. They're darker than usual."

"Sounds pretty," Richie said approvingly.

Eddie searched for anything else to tell him.

"My skin is soft," he said, reaching up with his free hand to brush it over his stomach. "It's always been soft."

"I'd love running my hands all over you. Your arms, your back, your legs. And I'd kiss all over your throat and your chest, feeling your soft skin underneath my lips. Fuck, Eddie. You'd feel so good."

Eddie shivered a little at his words.

"Would you like that?" Richie asked.

"I would," Eddie said.

"Touch yourself, Eds. Touch your throat, stroke your fingers over your chest and your stomach, feel your soft skin."

Eddie did as he said, letting his fingers brush lightly over his skin from his chin down to his navel, goosebumps erupting in the wake of his touch as he imagined Richie doing it instead.

"You like it, don't you? You like that it's all soft?"

"I do," Eddie nodded.

"See?" Richie said, his voice both triumphant and proud. "Was that so hard?"

"Yes," he said honestly.

'I know, baby. But it's okay to look at yourself and see something good. I want you to love yourself enough to see the good stuff."

Eddie closed his eyes, letting Richie's words sink in. He was right. Eddie knew that. He retreated from the mirror, sitting on the edge of the bed on shaking legs.

"I think this was a good idea," he said quietly.

"Me too," Richie said, sounding happy that they did it. "Think you can try to do that every day? Or at least a couple times a week?"

Eddie's eyes opened and he stared at the mirror.

"I can try," he said.

"Good," Richie said, and something about his praise made Eddie feel so much better