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Every bump in the road made her wince, and his thumb swiped over the skin of her thigh in a wordless apology. Eddie wasn’t an amazing driver on the best of days, and usually she didn’t mind, she was used to the rickety old van, but each shudder that rocked the vehicle made her move, and moving hurt her cramps even more. She just wanted to curl up in a ball and go to sleep, but they weren’t back at Eddie’s trailer yet, and she was sure he wouldn’t want to carry her inside, even though he insisted that he would. His fingers drummed against her thigh to the song that was playing, pausing every so often so that he could rub gentle comforts against the skin once more.
Eddie had put on some music in an attempt to distract her - Metallica’s ‘Ride The Lightning‘, an album they listened to together a lot - and mumbling along to the lyrics helped distract her a little, but not enough.
“For whom the bell tolls,” She mumbled along. Eddie’s singing was a lot louder than hers, and if it wasn’t for the pain she would have smiled in fondness. “Time marches on, for whom the bell tolls.”
Her eyes were squeezed shut, her head completely tipped back against the headrest, but she could tell when the van had stopped. But even once the engine was off and Eddie had stopped the music, she still didn’t move a muscle.
“I can just stay here,” She mumbled, opening her eyes for the first time to glance at her boyfriend. “Just grab me a blanket.”
“Haha, funny,” His eyes rolled, and he turned to face her fully once he had unbuckled his seatbelt. “C’mon, you’ll feel much better in bed.”
She still didn’t move, so he sighed and got out of the van. For a moment she hoped he really was going inside to grab her a blanket, but instead the passenger door was pulled open and Eddie was leaning against it as he looked at her. His expression was of faux sternness, a bad imitation of a parent attempting to discipline a toddler.
“Out.” He nodded toward the trailer.
Y/N frowned, her bottom lip tugged between her teeth as she glanced between the trailer and then back at Eddie. Her eyebrows scrunched together, and she responded in a much quieter and more vulnerable voice. “I… can’t walk properly.”
Her cheeks were flamed red in embarrassment, and being so raw in front of Eddie had tears tingling along her waterline, as if she wasn’t emotional enough. Her boyfriend was a badass, even then as he leaned against the van door. Hellfire shirt sleeves bunched up, revealing some of his tattoos. And there she was, admitting that her period cramps were so bad that she could barely move.
But Eddie didn’t seem bothered. If anything he looked more concerned; his eyebrows furrowed as he leaned into the van, his hand cupping her cheek. Her eyelids fluttered as his cool rings scraped against her jawline. When he leaned in closer, his lips pressed to her forehead, all she could smell was his musky cologne, and even just that helped her feel a little better.
“Take my hand.” He mumbled against her forehead, dropping another kiss there before he pulled away and ducked into the van a little more to unbuckle her seatbelt for her.
It took a moment to force her legs down from where her heels rested on the dashboard, and a moment longer to turn in her seat so her legs hung out the door, but with one of her hands gripping Eddie’s whilst his free arm wrapped around her waist, she managed to get out of the van with just a wince of pain. Eddie used his foot to kick the van door shut, and didn’t let go of her once as he helped her up the stairs to his trailer. Her hand continued to grip his as he unlocked the door, and she let out a quiet sigh of relief once they were inside and the door was shut. It would only be a few minutes at most until she was curled up in bed.
“You want something to wear?” Eddie asked as he gently sat her on the edge of his bed, and she nodded with a small thankful smile.
She hunched over slightly when Eddie had turned to grab her a shirt, her arms wrapped around her middle to press into her stomach slightly. The pain was almost becoming too much, and she wanted nothing more for it to stop hurting. Even just slightly.
“Here,” She glanced up at her boyfriend when he was back in front of her, and smiled slightly in thanks as he placed a shirt beside her. He looked at her for a moment, his head tilted slightly as he took in her posture, and his eyes softened further. “Do you want some help?”
Her throat was too thick and if she answered vocally then she knew she’d cry, so instead she just nodded and sat up a little more so he could help.
She was so thankful that she had chosen to wear a dress that day because it made it easier for Eddie to help undress her. It had been a choice of pure comfort - it wouldn’t be tight around her belly so she’d be in less pain. Eddie leaned down slightly, and as his fingers gripped the fabric of her dress she gripped his shoulders slightly and sat up just long enough for Eddie to pull the fabric out from under her thighs. He gave her a moment to sit back down properly, a grimace running through her as a sharp wave of pain stabbed her abdomen. She had to pause, and Eddie patiently waited until she raised her arms a moment later to pull the dress up and over her head, letting it drop on the bed beside her. His hands gently smoothed across the skin of her shoulders before he leaned over her again, his fingers fiddling with the clasp of her bra to pull that off of her too only once she had nodded that she wanted it off. Eddie helped her pull his shirt over her head, guiding each arm through the sleeves, before he crouched on the floor in front of her to unlace her shoes.
By the time that he had stood back up in front of her, her clothes in a pile on the floor, the dam had finally broken and tears leaked from the corners of her eyes. It was both because the pain was pretty much unbearable, and because of him. He was being so selfless with her that she couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed. She hadn’t been dressed by somebody else since she was a child, and he had basically taken her fragile self into his own hands to look after. She sniffled quietly, warmed and emotional by his kindness.
Eddie frowned, his palms warm against her cheeks as he cupped her face to swipe her tears away with his thumbs. “Don’t cry, babe,” He leaned down to kiss her, just a gentle touch, but it was still enough to make her feel slightly better. “I’ll grab you some Advil, ‘kay?”
She nodded, and only once he had helped her lay back against the pillows he left the room. It took a moment for her to get comfortable, but she settled with laying on her side, her legs pressed to her stomach as she sniffled quietly into Eddie’s pillow.
After a few minutes Eddie came back in, and she looked up as he walked around the side of the bed to be in front of her. He gently sat on the bed and turned, his hand underneath the side of her neck to gently guide her to sit up slightly. Wordlessly he gently pushed the two Advil capsules past her lips, and lifted a water bottle to her mouth a moment later for her to swallow them. She sighed as he lowered her back against the pillow again, mumbled a quiet thanks, and watched him smile at her before he got up and left again.
Her eyes were closed by the next time he came back in. She heard the distinct click of the curtain rail as he pulled the blinds in his bedroom, before the bed dipped behind her and his warmth was pressed against her back.
“Move your arm.” He pressed a kiss to her ear as something warm slipped underneath her shirt, and she sighed in relief as the familiar comfort of a hot water bottle was pressed against her abdomen, Eddie’s hand holding it in place. His other arm gently tucked underneath the pillow she was laying on, and his arm wrapped around her gently. His fingers were warm as they gently traced a pattern against her neck, and she leaned her head back against his shoulder with a small smile.
“Is that any better?” Eddie murmured against her ear, and she hummed quietly. His hand was keeping just enough pressure of the water bottle against her belly, and it was slowly ebbing away the pain that had been practically choking her for hours.
“Thank you.” Her voice was still a little thick, her eyes wet, but she managed almost a full smile when she felt her boyfriend's lips press a kiss against her neck.
“Anything for you, sweetheart.” He sealed the promise with another brush of his lips against her skin.
A yawn escaped her as she snuggled back further into his warmth, and his grip on her grew a little tighter, more comforting. He continued to press lazy kisses into her skin as she finally managed to relax, and even as the lines between being awake and being asleep behind to blur, he kept his gentle comforts.
“Love you.” The words were mumbled, sleep hanging off of each word.
“I love you too.” His breath fanned out across her neck as he spoke, and her smile grew slightly as she started to fall asleep in his arms.