Work Text:
“Hey, baby.” Eddie says, leaning against the door-frame of the trailer’s kitchen. The warm July sun was filtered through off-white curtains, giving him a soft, hazy glow.
It was the beginning of summer break. The two of you were living part-time in Eddie’s own trailer, spending weekends there before Eddie went back to his uncle’s during the week to help him at the new body shop that opened a few months back. It had taken a lot of convincing, and about a month of unpaid work for Eddie to actually get his foot in the door, but once the shop owner trusted him, it was perfect. He worked Monday to Thursday, roughly eight to nine hours hauling gear and anything else the owner wanted him to do. You were happy for him because it gave him structure in the day whereas before he would spend it in your bed, complaining about how bored he was, and how you could fix it for him.
You’d never admit it, but you miss those days, when you could lay in bed with his head in your lap, your fingers in his hair as he hummed a song or watched television or-
“Hey,” you answer, lifting your gaze from the textbook you were reading to smile at him. You had been reading for a better part of an hour, maybe longer. Eddie had been the one to surprise with it, just a discarded textbook he had “found all on their lonesome” near the library. College applications were coming up, and while you didn’t know if you could afford to apply to the program you wanted, it was worth a shot to be prepared. It was sweet, knowing your boyfriend cared enough to do that for you.
You notice belatedly that he’s shirtless; a kitchen cloth is slung over one shoulder, his hair up in a bun. “Are you hungry?” he asks, arms crossed loosely over his chest. You drop your gaze from his eyes to his tattoos, distracted by one of the better things to be distracted by. Your boyfriend, all toned up from his new job, looked even better than he had before.
“Baby?” Eddie prompts, and you look back up at him with a sheepish smile. You were totally caught.
“No thanks, I already ate today!” You slide a bookmark into the page and close the textbook, sliding it onto the coffee table. You draw your legs up onto the couch, as Eddie pushed off the door jam. You can smell the food cooking now, it smelt like eggs and bacon. Your stomach rumbled. There had been a conversation about eating more regularly, how coffee wasn’t a meal and neither were cigarettes, but sometimes that conversation felt like it had happened years ago. Besides, you were in a groove! If you stopped studying to eat now, what would happen when you come back and can’t focus?
He narrowed his eyes at you, and his arms tightened around his chest. “Wait, what did you eat?” He didn’t cook this morning, it was one of the few things the two of you traded off on. Eddie cooked in the morning or afternoon, and you cooked dinner. Then the next day you would flip-flop. It kept things interesting and honestly, it was nice. Especially if Eddie came home from work just desperate for something that wasn’t a frozen meal. Today the two of you had slept in late, having been up most of the night watching campy horror movies while dodging calls from Dustin and the crew. By the time you had woken up that afternoon, your boyfriend had already been up for a little bit, getting things together and tidying up the trailer.
“Coffee,” you pause, looking at the clock on the wall. A wince leaves you, and you look back at him with a flush across your cheeks. You knew exactly how this was going to go, now. “This… uh, this morning.” You move to stretch your legs now, because if you knew any better, you would be frog-marched into the kitchen. Besides, ‘the morning’ had been a few hours ago now. The clock on the wall ticks obnoxiously loud, and you look at your boyfriend, another wince on your face as you meet his gaze. You can tell already that Eddie’s a little cheesed. His jaw is tight, arms no longer crossed over his chest. The two of you had talked about this. You would eat at least two real meals a day if he could help it, and you’d help him kick the nicotine habit.
Both of you weren’t doing very good with that compromise.
“Oh, does that not count?” You ask, because the silence is killing you and it’s making his stare harder.
Eddie tugs the kitchen towel off his shoulder, making the end of it snap at his feet. “Kitchen, now.” His voice holds a single firm tone. You definitely messed up. The clock ticks around you again, and you shake your head, moving to slowly stand by the couch. Your heart is pounding in your chest, and that firm gaze Eddie once had is softening, changing into something playful. You might have messed up, but this was going to give you the opportunity to change how it’s fixed.
“Oh I’m not really, um. Hungry right now-.” You’re already walking back towards the bedroom, a soft laugh leaving you as Eddie starts to walk towards you. He’ll catch up with you in no time, there’s not much distance to cover and he’s got long legs. Before you can duck into the bathroom Eddie’s got you against his chest, eyes bright with love and happiness and annoyance. He gives you a gentle shake, one that makes you laugh harder than you did before.
“Into the kitchen!” Eddie cheers, because he’s left the bacon on the oven and it’s about to burn. He hoists you up and over his shoulder and you shriek, laughing as he swats your ass and marches you into the other room.
With a midday breakfast finished, the two of you spend some quality time together, right until it’s time to eat again.