Work Text:
‘alright, out with it. what’d he do?’
‘what?’
‘cap and chim might be fine but im not putting up with anymore of this emotionally stunted macho man bullshit. you’re upset. you’re only upset when the new probies’ around. you two keep making frankly innapropriate eye contact and then immediately looking away-‘
‘- how is glancing innapropriate.’ eddie muttered, glared at his obnoxiously polished shoes. he deserved it when hen whacked him upside the head.
‘innapropriate eye contact.’ she repeated, staring at him in a way that was probably innapropriate. at least it would be in any other workplace. ‘did he do something? do i need to get athena to put the fear of god in him?’
‘reckon you could do that yourself.’
‘thank you. now stop deflecting.’
eddie groaned, burying his face in his hands. screw emotional intelligence. he didn’t need a feelings intervention. maybe he could move back to texas or re-rejoin the army or something. ok, so- maybe he needed it. he dropped his hands back onto the table, let them fall loosely back around his lukewarm mug of tea. he let his eyes fall on the chip in the handle of the mug. ‘you know how i said shannon was the first girl i ever dated? the only girl i’ve ever dated?’
hen hummed, nodded her head for him to go on.
‘she- she wasn’t the first person i dated.’
‘oh- oh eddie.’
and wasn’t it embarassing that those three words were bringing the burn of tears to his eyes.
hen placed a gentle hand on his arm. he didn’t look up, but he knew exactly the look that would be on her face. soft and open and so caring it made eddie’s bones ache.
‘we were seventeen and he ghosted me the night of our one year anniversary. left school, left the state. his parents refused to tell me where he was. and then- then they told my parents i’d been dating a boy and i was grounded ‘til i graduated and forced into a relationship with shannon, the only other gay teenager in el paso.’
‘how would i even explain that?’
‘explain it to him how you did for me.’
well, if it aint broke don’t fix it or whatever. ‘you know how i said shannon was the first girl i ever dated? the only girl i’ve ever dated?’
‘is he giving you shit for that? really? just because he’s exuding manwhore energy all over the-‘
hen smacked him upside the head. as usual, it was deserved. ‘let him talk.’
‘eddie- eddie as in ‘edmundo diaz’?’
‘uh- yeah?’
‘he’s got a son?’
(nod)
‘christopher? he’d be about nine now? curly hair, glasses, cerebal palsy?
(eddie’s walked over atp)
‘was on a summer camp trip to santa monica peir the day of the tsunami?’
‘how do you know that.’