The Break (An Eddie Munson Story)

Chapter 3: Empty Gas Tank

A/N: So...are you enjoying the story so far?

As a content warning, I would say there are themes of depression, dialogue about physical harm and a mention of blood.

*****

He double blinked at the sound of the click, not quite expecting his amateur prep talk to actually work. In actual fact, he had been eyeing up a rather large stone that sat a few meters away. Not that he would have been able to bring himself to break one of your car windows, he had just been considering all his options.

Eddie shook his head, freeing himself of his initial surprise and quickly opened the unlocked door. Inside, you sat with tears still steadily pouring down your face. So much for steaming the flow earlier. Apparently your body still had many more to shed and with no immediate end in sight.

Unable to move, you allowed the brunet to work around you, as you remained slumped in your chair, exhausted by your extreme emotions. At least your sobs had quietened down, he mused, as he undid your seat buckle, freeing you of it's constraints. You barely acknowledged his presence until he tentatively tilted your chin to look towards him.

"What happened?" he softly asked, fully prepared for you to breakdown at the sounding of his question. He was dealing with personified broken glass and needed to tread carefully, in fear of triggering another harrowing response from you but he also needed answers. How was he supposed to help you, if he had no idea of what he was dealing with? If it was a person, violence could always be administered to achieve a resolution. If it was something else, something beyond his reach, hidden in the depths of his mind, well, that would be more difficult to fix but he would do his best or get you to someone who could successfully put you back together again.

Kissing away tears was the stuff of fiction but oh did he want to try for both your sake and his. Despite your time apart, Eddie's fondness for you had only doubled. Absence really did make the heart grow fonder. Your closeness was jarring and he longed for things to be as they were before the Summer, when something pure magic was beginning to bloom between you. Before the cause of your isolation had gotten in the way.

You merely shook your head, not ready to voice your never-ending list of problems. You were already physically and mentally drained, the mere thought of having to talk, had you breaking out into a cold sweat.

He did not want to push you but he had to ask a follow up question, "Did someone hurt you?"

Ah, you thought. That was a complicated question. Whilst your heart was irreparably broken for a multitude of reasons, no one had physically caused you harm. While sticks and stones had not broken your bones, words had done just as good a job.

Your prolonged silence ate away at Eddie, causing his anxiety to skyrocket. His ears rang as his anger rose. Who had dared to lay a finger on you? Who could be so unnecessarily cruel? His hand dropped away from your face, to his side, where it curled into a fist- rings digging painfully into his palm, creating indents and potentially drawing blood.

He had not realised he was holding his breath until you eventually shook your head in response. A wave of relief rolled over him, as his tense shoulders dropped and his hand unfurled, leaving him with a stinging pain.

"Okay, okay." he needed, letting out a shaky sigh. "That's..." what, he thought, good? Nothing about this situation was good but the absence of a malicious person in your life was better than what he was initially worried about. "That's something."

Wow, smooth, Munson. Really smooth.

He was about to ask you some further questions, when he spied upon the empty gas gage. "You're out of petrol." he highlighted as an explanation from your stalling engine. His revelation earnt the brunet a string of mumbled curse words, as you buried your face in your trembling hands. It was just another failure to add to your continuing list of fuck ups. Even if you had somewhere to go, how the hell were you supposed to get there now? You barely had enough cash to afford necessities, let alone a tank of gas. Great, just great. Things were just going from worse to absolutely catastrophic.

"Shit." he muttered under his breath, mentally kicking himself for upsetting you further. He really was bad at this comforting stuff. "Hey, hey, hey." Eddie tried to shush you and pry your hands away from your face. "Enough of that, sweetheart. It's not the end of the world, okay?" getting you some petrol for your car, now that he could help with. Finally he could be of some use because so far, he felt like had only been making a bigger mess of things. "We can get your car some petrol, okay?" he murmured, unable to resist wiping your tears away with the pads of his fingertips. Damn, he had miss being in your presence. Eddie only wished it were under better circumstances.

Though you were taken back by his tender gesture, you took notice of an particularly angry, red mark on his hand and could not help but frown. "You're hurt." you rasped, voice overused from your earlier hysterics. No doubt you would have a sore throat by the morning.

And there it was, that signature boyish grin that you had fallen so quickly for all those years ago. Though you were both older now, that smile had never changed and still managed to make your heart skip a beat. It had been so long since it had been directed towards you. Too long but that was completely of your own doing. "Ah, they speak." he teased, nudging your shoulder in jest. "I'm fine. Although, I don't know about you but I'm absolutely freezing. It's not exactly the Bahamas out here tonight." Eddie chuckles, wanting to lighten the mood a bit. Doom and gloom was fine for pervious adventures in D&D campaigns but this was reality and he wanted better things for you. "So..." he started, unsure with how to proceed next. "you, uh, want me to drive you to a gas station? Or I can drop you home? Your car should be alright until tomorrow. I can pick you up in the morning before school and we can deal with it then? We should be able to get it sorted and make it on time for first period."

At the mention of going home, your throat felt like it was going to close up again but you really did not want to lose yourself to despair quite so soon. You didn't think you had the energy to survive another breakdown. "Since when did you start caring about attending class?" you asked but it sounded meaner than you had intended it to sound.

Luckily, the brunet just scoffed and rolled his eyes at your question. "Since I decided that I actually want to graduate this year. Anyway, sweetheart, what'll it be? Gas station or home?"