melt | Eddie Munson

No Glove, No Love

Eddie was a good kid. Wayne rarely needed to scold the boy for anything serious. Of course, there were moments when he needed to remind him of what an inside voice was. Or that even if he didn't mind him testing the strength of their trailer, the neighbors would have problems with him blasting his music with the bass vibrating the ground.

His nephew had always been self-sufficient, which he knew was a result of his shitbrain brother. Wayne can't even recall if the boy asks to borrow money. Wayne would always leave some out for Eddie to spend at his leisure. Due to his shifts at the plant during the week, they barely interacted outside of the early morning before Eddie left for school and his days off. Since Eddie started high school, Wayne had taken the night shift to get the differential pay. Any little bit of money helped.

However, that didn't mean that Wayne didn't know what his nephew was up to most of the time. He knew every band Eddie jammed out to that rattled the trailer. Wayne could name Eddie's class in Dungeons and Dragons and his favorite adventure. He knew all the models of guitars Eddie has in his room and that Corroded Coffins has steady shows at the Hideout. Besides, he was the one to get Eddie interested in music to give him a crutch out of the criminal lifestyle his brother didn't know how to quit.

So he also knew that Eddie was a growing boy. He was no longer a young adolescent boy with baby fat surrounding his cheeks, but a teenage boy with hormones.

Wayne also knew there was one main girl in his nephew's life. Eddie may not have completely platonic thoughts regarding Jensen Thomas. Wayne had known that his nephew always had harbored some sort of crush on the girl since that Winter Ball they attended before Eddie went to high school.

It was evident from how Eddie would pay closer attention to his appearance, the trailer would go through a deep scrub, and the blushing cheeks. It wasn't all the time, but he knew his nephew was really trying to impress the girl with something when doing all of that.

Wayne suspected the feelings were mutual between the two. The times he was around them, he could see how they were dancing around each other. His favorite was when they would look at other each and duck away before anyone noticed.

Yet, Wayne knew that it really wasn't his business. He didn't want to involve himself in the teenage angst of it. Besides, no one was really being harmed. He was sure that it would all work itself out.

However, Wayne wanted to be proactive. Just because he wasn't aware of anything serious, he wanted to be in front of it. Considering the family's history, he knew some things could be passed down, unfortunately. The last thing he wanted for his nephew was to be a teenage dad. As much as he will love to see his nephew settle down and have rugrats of his own, Eddie was still too young for that responsibility.

He purchased the box of condoms on a whim.

The older Munson was currently sipping his coffee as he waited for his curly-haired nephew to wander out of his room. It was Saturday, which meant Eddie would come strolling out of his room and regale him with the latest adventure of Dungeons and Dragons with his Hellfire club, a new band he discovered and wanted to see, and that he would probably be hanging out with Jensen later in the day if she wasn't coming over.

Wayne sipped his coffee out of one of the many coffee mugs surrounding the walls and cabinets. He was sure some mugs were worth more than the trailer he lived in. He sighed as the caffeine flooded his system. Wayne didn't really splurge on much outside of Eddie, so he favored the coffee that cost a little too expensive, but goddamn was it good.

Over the aroma of the caffeine, he could hear the footsteps of his nephew. The steps were loud as the boy yawned and most likely stumbled over his feet. Eddie would go into the bathroom before coming out for a drink of chocolate milk and a bowl of cereal.

Wayne sipped slowly on his coffee. He almost snorted at the cheetah print bonnet on the boy's head.

"That's new," Wayne commented. He was used to seeing Jensen in a hot pink one.

"Good morning to you," Eddie greeted as he grabbed for his glass cup.

"Jensen stay the night?" Wayne inquired. He didn't think she did. He was sure he would have heard the two giggling like hyenas late in the night.

"Nah," Eddie replied. "Although we are going to head over to the next town to check out this new record store that opened up."

"You need any money?"

"I'm good," Eddie replied with a smile.

Wayne watched as Eddie concentrated on making his cereal. He took the moment to really look at his nephew. His nephew was slowly creeping into adulthood. The boy had inherited the Munson height and their build. Long lanky limbs with dark hair and eyes. Eddie had his father's nose and eyes. Thankfully, everything else was Eddie's mother's. He had her smile and laugh. Most importantly, it seemed Eddie had inherited his mother's personality, her kind heart.

As much as Wayne loved that about his nephew. It worried him. As Eddie got older, it was harder to protect him from the conservative mindset of the town. Once Eddie began discovering his sense of style and self, which went against the traditional plain views of the town, it made him a target. He knew as much as his nephew could hold his head high there does come to a point where one does get tender and bruised.

So it comforted him that Eddie had Jensen, but he wanted to be sure there would not be any mini Eddies or Jensens running around their already cramped trailer.

"So what do you plan to do after that?"

Eddie shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know if we buy anything, listen to the music. Jensen said she would have the house to herself."

"And her Dad allows you to be over there alone?"

Eddie looked at him confused as he sat at the table with his cereal. "Yeah?"

Wayne cleared his throat. He wasn't sure how to proceed with this conversation, but he knew it had to be done.

"With the door opened or closed?"

Eddie squinted his eyes. It was a look he had seen on his brother's face many times when he was trying to decode something.

He then watched as a red wave bloomed across his nephew's features.

"Jensen's not -...we are..."

Wayne put his hands up. His own ears turned red. "Hey, I don't want to know. The only thing I am worried about is you being safe with Jensen...or anyone."

"I'm...Uncle Wayne..."

Wayne stood up and grabbed the small box of condoms he bought at the convenience store before coming home. He placed them in front of Eddie.

"Just be safe, okay." Wayne pressed. "Do you know how to use them?"

Eddie's ears were torches at this point. "Jensen and I..."

"You like her, right?" Wayne probed.

Eddie chewed on his lip. The blush was spreading down his neck before he gave a jerky nod of the head.

"So what's the problem?"

Eddie exhaled deeply. "It's Jensen." He stated as if that was the answer to everything.

"Yeah?"

"It's better that she is my friend than nothing. I don't want to ruin things." Eddie revealed.

"You think she doesn't like you?" Wayne was trying hard to hold his laughter in. Teenagers can be so oblivious about things sometimes. Wayne wasn't going to push or prod anymore. He would let those two knuckleheads figure it out on their own. He shook his head. "Just keep the condoms on ya. We don't have room for mini yous to be running around."

"Haha. Funny," Eddie said drooly.

Wayne acted like he didn't see Eddie look at the condoms curiously before swiping them to take back to his room.

He hoped Eddie knew how to put them on properly.