Breath

New Beginning (Eric Carr, Eddie Van Halen)

Vote/comment if you like :)

This is for @suzyroyal 

Chicago, Illinois, 1982

"Baby!" Suzy called.

Eric grinned at her and jogged over to where she was sitting. "I'm so glad you agreed to come with me tonight. I thought it would be too much for you," he admitted.

She patted the spot next to her. He plopped down and planted a kiss on her forehead. A little bit of his makeup smeared onto her temple, but she didn't mind. 

"I'm okay, Eric. Tired, you know. As usual," she giggled.

"I can take you back right now-"

"Relax," she told him. "I wanted to see you play. You were so good, sweetheart."

He beamed. The black lipstick he wore made his smile look even bigger than it already was. 

"Thanks. I'm still kind of nervous going on stage with them." He ducked his head sheepishly.

Suzy frowned and leaned closer to him. "There's nothing to be nervous about. You're a wonderful drummer, and they need you."

He snorted in disbelief.

"Hey!" she scolded. "I mean it."

"Love you, angel."

Suzy blushed. "I love you, too."

Eric's eyes focused on something behind her. His face pinched, and Suzy wondered what it was. Her muscles were too stiff to turn around comfortable, so she inquired as to what had caught his attention.

"What is it?"

He glanced down. "Uh..."

"Suzy," a smooth voice said.

She watched in fear as her ex-boyfriend came into frame and moved to stand across from them.

He leaned against a trunk and smiled sadly at her.

"Hi, Eddie." She gulped. "What are you doing here?"

He nodded toward Eric, who was squeezing her hand. "Just came to see the show..."

"And?" she asked.

"And I wanted to catch up for a bit, if that's okay with you."

Eddie was confident, handsome, and very talented. He had it all. Suzy still wasn't sure how someone like him had ended up asking her out, but he had, and they fell in love. 

Their relationship lasted about a year. She had adored Eddie, and he her, but there had been too many moments of discomfort. For example, she had not gotten along with his bandmates. His brother Alex had been polite but distant to her, and David was not her type of person at all. She was far removed from the rock n' roll lifestyle because of her condition, so partying and whatnot was not on the table. After a while, it began to put strain on their relationship, and she broke it off. 

Suzy sighed. There was no way this conversation would end well.

Eric peered at her. "Do you want to talk with him? I can leave," he offered.

She was grateful for his casualness. "I do, but you can stay." 

Eddie's brow rose. "Alright, then."

Suzy stared directly at him. "I...I'm not going to apologize for breaking up with you." Her voice wobbled.

"I know. I'm not mad. I just wanted to know why." His voice was steady, but she could sense the hurt behind his words.

"We weren't a good fit," she explained. "I-I couldn't keep up with you, and I felt bad. It was always so awkward interacting with the people you hung out with."

Eddie gave her a questioning look. "What made it awkward."

Suzy's mouth muscles twitched involuntarily, and she blinked away tears. "Because I am the way I am. Some people have issues with people like me."

"Disabled people, you mean."

She sniffled. "Yeah. I mean, yes."

"And you?" he asked, turning his attention to Eric. "Do you have an issue with that?"

Eric straightened next to her. "No," he said coolly.

Eddie nodded and moved toward Suzy.

"I'm sorry," he said. "That it didn't work out between us...and for not making you feel welcome enough."

His tone was sincere, and she knew he had meant it.

"Thank you."

He glanced at Eric. "You played well tonight, man."

"Not as good as Peter according to some, but I'll do," Eric joked.

Suzy laughed and dried her cheeks with her shirtsleeve. "Thanks for coming, Eddie. Really. It was good seeing you."

Eddie gave a flat-mouthed smile and ambled in the direction of the doors.

Eric gently wrapped his arms around her and rested his temple against the side of her head. "You alright?" he murmured.

"Perfect," she responded.

"Let me go talk to the guys, and then we'll get outta here." He unwound himself from her and stood up. After stretching his arms above his head, he bent over and pecked her on the lips.

She pushed him away and took in his figure. The "Fox" persona he had taken on suited him well, and she loved how cute he looked when he was all dolled up.

"I'll be waiting here," she told him. "Hurry up."

He spun around and walked further into the backstage area. "I will!" he called back.

Suzy grinned to herself. It was nice to have closure with Eddie, and even nicer to be here with Eric. 

The next morning, Suzy awoke with more energy than she had expected, and was happy for it. She could maybe go out to eat with Eric if it stayed that way. 

Speaking of, he was currently making them breakfast in her tiny apartment kitchen. 

"Morning," she yawned.

He pulled her in for a quick hug before attending to the toast in front of him.

"You like raspberry, right?" He showed her a jar of sticky red jam.

She nodded and moved back in to hold him. Normally, she would have felt a bit of guilt at distracting him from something as important as making breakfast, but today felt special.

"Love you," she mumbled into his back.

"What was that?" he teased.

She drew back so her face wasn't smashed into his t-shirt. "I said...I love you, baby. So much."

"Mmhm. What are you trying to get from that, sweetheart?"

"Nothing," she whined. "Can't I just say it?"

He turned the burner off and slid the frying pan to the side. His back remained to her.

"You can...but I have a feeling you want something more."

"Mm." She tightened her arms around his torso and swayed them back and forth. "Maybe...I do. What would you say then?"

"I wouldn't say anything."

She perked. "Oh?"

"I'd take you straight back to bed."

Before she could open her mouth to speak, he had pulled out of her arms and picked her off the floor.

"Eric!" she squealed. "Put! Me! Down!"

"Just a second." He carried her back into her bedroom and set her gently down on the bed.

She propped up a pillow behind her head and fixed him with an annoyed smile. "What now?"

He smirked and wrapped his hands around her ankles. She shivered with anticipation.

"Whatever you want, sweetheart."