Scars to Your Beautiful ❤️ (Arsonberry BMC oneshot)

Arsonberry :))

Rich was sitting on Brooke's bed in her room, waiting for his girlfriend to show off her new swimsuit. He had his knees pulled up to his chest, hugging them tightly as he picked at the bottoms of his jeans. He was worried about this hangout, honestly. The beach with his friends and girlfriend sounded fun, sure, but the ugly burn scars on his arms and legs would be on display for everyone to see. Normally, he wore long-sleeved shirts and jeans to cover them up, but he only had a rashguard and swim shorts for the beach. He was hesitant about even buying the rashguard, afraid people would make fun of him for not just going shirtless. So he'd just been helping Brooke get ready, coming up with this excuse and that excuse on why he hadn't changed yet. He honestly just didn't want to admit that he was too scared to change.

Brooke soon walked out of the bathroom in a yellow and blue one-piece swimsuit, a gentle smile on her face. Rich looked her up and down before giving her a half-hearted thumbs up. She was so pretty, it was almost unfair. Sometimes he wondered why someone as pretty as her would put up with a guy who literally looked like a pale cow. It's not like their couple photos ever turned out well.

Brooke seemed to notice that Rich seemed slightly off, frowning as she walked over to him and sat beside him, wrapping her arms around him gently, so as not to make him flinch too badly. That was something they had figured out pretty early on in their relationship- Rich loved physical affection, he was just super not used to it. So Brooke was always careful whenever she gave it.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" She asked, pressing a kiss to his cheek as she rubbed his sides gently.

"Nothing, babe. You look stunning, per usual." Rich whispered in reply, loosening his grip on his knees to further prove his point, resting his head against her chest.

Brooke giggled quietly, meeting his gaze. "Thanks," She started before sighing and continuing, her face dropping into a concerned expression, "but what's wrong? You don't look excited about this."

"Dunno. Guess I'm just out of it today or something, y'know?" Rich asked, shrugging. Brooke simply gave him a look that meant business after that comment, causing her boyfriend to groan rather loudly.

"Fine. I'm just self-conscious and shit. It's fine. I'll probably just read a book on the beach, avoid the ocean and all." Rich forced a smile up at her, though it fell as he realized she was getting up and walking back into the bathroom. "Wait, shit, what'd I do wrong?"

"Just wait here a minute, okay, Richie?" Brooke asked, a caring half-smile on her face. Rich slowly nodded, though he still looked worried about what he did wrong. Brooke then disappeared into the bathroom, emerging a few minutes later in a beautiful flower print two-piece swimsuit.

"Is that supposed to make me feel better? Seeing you look pretty in everything you wear?" Rich questioned with a slight raise of his eyebrows. Brooke simply shook her head, walking a bit closer and pointing to the side of her stomach.

"Do you know what those are, babe?" Brooke asked him. Rich got a closer look at them before shaking his head in confusion. "They're stretch marks. Do you think I look ugly because of them?"

Rich was quick to shake his head this time. "No, you still look like a fucking model." He muttered quietly, but genuinely, looking up at her.

"Exactly!" Brooke chirped. "Do you know how many mean comments I've gotten about these? So many. Anytime people can see them, I get glares and comments." She sat back down next to him again, watching his confused but almost hopeful in a way gaze follow her as she did so. "You're beautiful, Rich. Anyone who says differently is wrong and you need to learn to tune out those idiots." She started peppering his face in kisses, smiling a bit more as she took his hands into her own. "It'll all be okay. I love you so much."

Rich bit his lip harshly, nodding slightly. How lucky was he to have such an amazing, caring girlfriend? He let the two sit there in comfortable silence for a moment before quietly speaking up.

"...I love you too, Brooke." He replied, both of them slowly realizing that that was the first time Rich had ever said it in return. Thankfully, Brooke didn't make a big deal about it, just leaning in and pulling him into a loving kiss which he quickly returned.