To Eddie Munson: My Knight in Shining Leather

The final chapter ***

*** smut warning near the end ***

You stared at yourself in the mirror, trying to convince yourself your scars weren't that noticeable. As you wrapped your jacket around yourself, trying to cover your shoulders and arms, you wondered if it was too late to change your mind about going, and decided it was. With a sigh that made your ribs pop, you stepped into your new sneakers your mom insisted on getting you and exited your room. Your mom waited for you on the couch, anxiously anticipating your entrance. She stood when she saw you, grabbing her camera and absolutely beaming.

"You look so pretty!" She squealed, wrapping her arms around you tightly. "Smile!" A quick flash went off in your face without warning, reminding you of that awful lightning. Even though it had been almost a month since the incident, it was still clear as day behind your eyelids. You stumbled at the shock, brushing it off before your mom could notice. Eddie's bloody face, his hand reaching out to hold yours, the hoarse groan after he told you he loved you. It almost made you spiral, but you remembered the promise you made to Eddie, and straightened your shoulders.

"Mom, please," you held your hand out, asking her to stop.

"I'm sorry," she said sarcastically, "it's not every day your daughter goes to her senior prom. I want to make sure you have pictures to look back on when you're older. Something good that came out of this awful month."

"It's just a dance," you huffed, pulling your jacket in tighter around you. "I probably wouldn't even be going if it weren't for Eddie."

"I know thing have been rough, sweetheart," your mom rubbed your arm reassuringly, "but it'll be fun. Will he be here soon?"

"Yeah, I think so." You glanced at the time, becoming aware of his impending arrival. You were excited to see him, but not excited about the many pictures your mom was about to force you to take.

As if on cue, your front doorbell rang. Your mother squealed in delight as she ran to open it, revealing Eddie in some very tough-looking leather pants, his usual leather jacket, a black button up, and a red bow tie. He adorned black and red boots on his feet, and you realized Wayne probably made him wear the tie. It was the only thing that seemed out of place.

He greeted your mom politely as she allowed him to enter your home. Once he saw you, his Adams apple bobbed as he swallowed. His lips parted, and whatever your mom said fell on deaf ears. You winked at him, and your moms voice rang out again.

"Doesn't she look beautiful?" She asked, patting Eddie's arm. He just nodded, licking his lips and swallowing again. "I want to get pictures before you guys go!" She pushed Eddie your direction, nearly knocking him into you.

Eddie wrapped his arm around your waist, pulling you closer to his side as your mom grabbed her camera. "You do look beautiful," he whispered in your ear.

"I feel ridiculous." You shuffled nervously, adjusting your dress before your mom could snap a picture that looked unflattering.

"Say cheese!" She exclaimed, flashing you both with the Polaroid. You and Eddie both smiled and did different poses at your mothers request. Eddie was so patient through it all, knowing how important this was to you, even if you didn't want to admit it. When she was finally done, you waved goodbye and exited as quickly as you could.

"God, what a nightmare," you said after Eddie seated himself next to you. He started his van up and backed out of your driveway before responding.

"I thought you were looking forward to this." He reached over and grabbed your hand, his scar creeping out from under his sleeve.

"I was, until I stopped talking to everyone. I'm just trying to figure out what to tell them." You looked out the window, thinking about how you cut off communication with just about everybody. Steve had been taking it the hardest, but Robin was doing a good job of reminding him this was your first time experiencing the end of the world. You needed time to adjust. The last time you had seen them in person was in the hospital, just after you woke up.