Chapter Text
Eddie's heart was about to beat out of his chest. He couldn't help it, hands feeling sweaty, knees weak as he barely stood still, jittery with nerves and excitement.
In the other room, he could see your form through the murky glass as you put on the wedding dress he painstakingly made. He'd spent quite a while searching for the fabric before finally finding white silk curtains in an office.
Eddie had always liked sewing, had always liked creating.
Now his bride would be wedded to him in something he made. He felt lightheaded with how happy he was.
As he waited, quietly reciting his vows so he would not forget and make a fool of himself, a moment of clarity hit him, and Eddie felt… Why, he could not describe. To describe how he felt required him to be aware of how he usually was, and since he thought the way he usually acted was normal, there was no way for him to describe it.
But if he could, it would be a bit like this:
The ever present anger he felt washed away, the hurt part of him that lashed out with gnashing teeth and clawed nails settling down like a wild dog finally given a warm meal and a place to sleep; he felt like he was on the precipice of something grand, something new. With his marriage, Eddie would get a clean start, all his sins set aside. Any dirtiness he'd partaken in would cease to matter. Just as he was making an honest woman of you, you'd be making an honest man of him. He'd be free from the stench of his past, the black stain on his soul. He'd have a wife, children, and what had happened to him would never happen again. He'd be Father, and his sons and daughters would remain pure and untouched unlike him.
Eddie would not be like the monsters he'd feared at night, he'd be the father he never had. Eddie would do better, be better.
He vowed it.
And yes, while Eddie didn't have the awareness or clarity to think all this himself, perhaps, at least subconsciously, he thought it. Perhaps a small part of him that was aware swore it over and over again, wanting to finally escape what he'd become in the aftermath of splitting pains and his uncle's laughter and his father's wandering hands and his mother's avoidant gaze.
Maybe.
Maybe maybe maybe.
It didn't matter at the moment, though, as you soon stepped out of the other room and Eddie felt his breath be taken away.
You were a vision.
Clad in off-white silk, you looked pure, an angel come to be his bride. Your hair was still tied back and out of your face, but that was fine. He'd have plenty of time to play with it later.
In Eddie's mind, this dilapidated room was a proper church, and the photo of a priest was a real one, sharing in Eddie's joy as he witnessed true love about to be solidified in God's eyes.
"Darling… oh, how I yearn to…" He bit his lip, groaning low in his throat. He beckoned you over, grabbing your wrists to yank you close. His excitement was palpable, he was almost shaking with it.
Releasing your wrists, he instead grabbed your hands, kissing your knuckles. It was as close to an apology as you'd get from him at the moment for his rough-ish treatment.
Eddie began to speak, taking on the role of a priest for even though he was stuck in his delusions, there was still a part of him that was grounded in reality enough to understand you didn't see what he did.
For you, despite the setting, despite the smell of carcasses in the air, you were happy. It didn't matter how it happened or where, just so long as you weren't alone anymore. You hated being alone.
But now you wouldn't be. Now you'd have a husband.
“Do you, Y/N, take me, Eddie Gluskin, to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold? To love in sickness and in health?”
“I do.” You whisper, fighting back tears. God, you were so emotional today! You weren't usually so emotional, but you supposed it was to be expected. After all, you were finally getting married!
Eddie continued speaking, asking himself if he'd take you as his bride, saying I do immediately, words almost slurred together.
And then finally, “I may now kiss my bride~.” Eddie purred, his role as priest over as he leaned in eagerly.
But you beat him to the punch, grabbing him by the face and kissing him deeply, wrapping an arm around his neck. He responded with a surprised sound before dipping you, continuing to kiss you until both of you were out of breath, breaking apart with a gasp.
Lips and face flushed, you smile up at him.
Eddie just stares down at you, panting. Something crosses over his face, expression distorting for a moment, but it's quickly calmed when you lean in, pecking him on the lips again.
"Husband." You say excitedly, testing the word out on your lips; you love it.
"Wife." He also says, seemingly stunned that he'd made it here after all this time. Eddie ran a hand through his hair, letting out a weak laugh. "Wife. I have a wife…"
He sobered up quickly though, and stared at you, eyes icy and prying. It felt as though he was trying to see into your soul, and you welcomed it, holding his gaze without blinking, inviting him in to see all of you.
Whatever he saw in your gaze made him confused, but it wasn't outright rejection like you were used to. Unlike the others you'd tried to bond with, Eddie saw the obsession, the desire, the desperate need for a companion and didn't retreat.
Instead, it was like looking into a mirror for him. And Eddie didn't know how to feel about that.
Would you run now, he wondered, staring at you, not knowing what to do now. He'd never reached this point before, never been… a married man– oh, heavens help him, he was a married man!
It truly sunk in for him then and there, and Eddie– Eddie felt–
Free. Clean. Safe. Changed–
He… he… Eddie felt both different and the same. He felt like there were new paths open to him now, yet everything behind him was still there; his past, forced under lock and key and forgotten in the cellar of his mind, was still there.
Eddie was still–
"Hey." Your soft voice pulled him from his thoughts, and he blinked, realising you were stroking the side of his face. You gave him an understanding look. Why? How could you possibly understand anything? Eddie himself didn't understand half the time! "Are you still with me, baby?" You ask, gently, ever so gently, pulling him closer by the waist; your arms wrap around him, and he can't help but lean forward, resting his weight against you.
One hand runs through his hair, and a shudder runs through him; your nails are light and painless as they glide across his scalp. He feels a touch embarrassed, both at his reaction and because he knows he isn't as clean as he'd prefer to be. The personnel here never let them shower for long.
Your other hand meanwhile rubs up and down his spine, long smooth presses gliding up and down, up and down, grounding him.
Eddie feels… calm. So, so calm. Has he ever felt this calm before? He can't recall.
He swallows, hands gripping on tight as he clings to you. Despite being bigger than you, you're the one with all the power here. You're the one protecting him.
He blinks, confused by his own thoughts. From what? He thinks, not even realising you were lightly swaying with him, humming under your breath. His throat felt tight, suddenly, a prickling in his eyes.
Was he ill? Why was he feeling so– so…?
It must be because it's our first dance! He rationalizes, nodding to himself, resting his chin on your head. Yes, that's why. No other reason.
Certainly not because this is the kindest touch he's experienced in decades.
Certainly not because you are the only woman who's ever stayed; the only person who's looked into his eyes and not been scared by the obsessive hunger in them.
No, and certainly not because all the noise in his mind fades away, replaced by the sound of your humming.
In the small room turned wedding venue, The Groom and his Bride shared their first dance, hearts beating as one as your loneliness began to ebb away and his turbulent mind began to calm.
(Eddie still felt that itch to kill, fingers itching for a blade, but… maybe for once, he could be… better.
He was a new man, after all.)