Eddie Munson Oneshots

Beautiful

The smell of coffee is rich as you pour yourself a cup. You set the pot back down when the coffee fills up, turning on your heel toward the slim hallway where the bedroom is.

You open the door, stepping in with a smile. "Hey, Eds. Do you-"

You pause as your eyes fall on his bare back. His topless body reveals silvery ridges decorating the skin along his waist, rugged and scarred. Eddie turns around quickly, looking at you over his shoulder as a flash of panic sweeps behind his eyes.

"Oh-" he startles, pulling his shirt quickly over his head, tugging it down his sides forcefully to ensure he's properly covered. He turns back toward you, shuffling nervously but trying to cover it up with a forced smile. "Sorry," he sighs.

Your eyes stray back down to where you had just seen the scars on his skin. They linger there, as if you can see through his clothing. Your shoulders drop, and Eddie watches as your expression shifts to one he can't quite decipher.

Eddie visibly shrinks under your scrutiny, playing with his rings to distract himself as he glances between your shoes and his own, only momentarily meeting your gaze. His cheeks are pink, slightly flushed from the embarrassment of his scars being revealed.

"'M sorry," he says again, mostly as a murmur of words now. "You shouldn't have seen that."

"Wh..." you don't finish the word, finally looking up at him with sad eyes. "Why are you apologizing?" You take a step closer, raising a hand to beckon him closer. He doesn't move.

"You weren't supposed to see those," he repeats, shaking his head. His bedhead shifts with the movement.

You tilt your head to the side, a very slight movement out of the corner of his eyes as he refuses to look at you. His eyes dart everywhere but yours, unease settling into his skin like the scars disrupting a flowery tattoo above his hip, hidden from prying eyes.

"Well... Why not?" You shift where you stand, just as he does.

It takes Eddie a moment to respond. When he does, it's with a quick shake of his head as he replaces his smile. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it," he insists, forcing himself to look at you and hoping you ignore the rose of his cheeks. "It's nothing."

His smile breaks your heart in two. It's nothing like the bright grin you're used to adoring, the wide stretch of his lips that squints his eyes and encourages smile lines along his face. This smile doesn't reach his eyes. Just the twinkle of a star, rather than the shine of the sun.

Your frown deepens, "I..." You struggle to find words. "Oh, baby." You walk over to him, your heart aching at the tiny step he takes to keep you separate. You stand in front of him anyway, slowly bringing a hand up to rest against his chest.

Eddie raises his own hand, bringing it to cover yours with his large smile. You press your other hand there, as well, and he follows suit. He blinks slowly at you, willing his smile to stay plastered to his lips so as to not worry you. He shakes his head, opening his mouth to speak and taking a tiny step closer. The sound takes a moment to come out, as if his own body is rejecting his words as a lie. "It's nothing," he tries, almost a whisper now.

"It didn't look like nothing," you tell him, watching him closely as his expression shifts. "What happened?"

Again, he just shakes his head like the scars will disappear if he neglects their existence enough. "Nothing," he insists. "I- I'd say otherwise, but it's nothing. Don't worry about it, babe." He leans forward, pressing his lips against yours and pulling you into a kiss meant for reassurance. He pulls back and smiles at you again. It looks like he might cry. "See? Nothing." You don't miss the way he swallows hard around a lump in his throat.