#i need a concert tag

[signals-over-the-air]

what the FUCK

fall out boy boston 🎱8/2/23

@napkinthief

[heartshapedcloud]

lorde in brisbane, march 2023

[riality-check]

The eagerly awaited part 2 of the DILF!Steve concert saga is here!! Part 1, in case you missed it.

"You're not going."

"Come on! I haven't thrown up in an hour!"

"The drive to the venue is an hour and a half."

"Steve-"

"And if you throw up in my car-"

"Oh my God-"

"I'll kill you."

Steve doesn't need to see Dustin's eye roll in order to feel the full force of it through the phone.

"I'll just kill you. You'll have a headstone within the week that says Here Lies Dustin Henderson: Rightfully Murdered for Puking in Steve Harrington's Car," he continues as he packs Capri-Suns into the cooler for the car ride.

He doesn't remember ever being that thirsty as a kid, but if Anna wants strawberry kiwi, Anna gets strawberry kiwi. It helps that it's Steve's favorite flavor, too.

"I'd need a big ass headstone to fit all of that," Dustin snaps.

"Your big-ass ego would demand no less, shithead," Steve shoots back.

"Swear jar, Daddy!" Anna calls from her room, across the house because while she doesn't listen to Steve when he's right in front of her, she can hear him break the swear jar rule from halfway across the world.

He zips up the cooler, fishes a quarter out of his pocket, and throws it into the half-full soup can next to the stove.

(A quarter doesn't mean much, but Anna doesn't know that. The day Steve teaches that kid about inflation is the day his pockets become permanently empty.)

"Did she just swear jar you?" Dustin asks from over the phone.

"You baited me into it."

"I did no such thing."

Steve rolls his eyes. "You're not coming, though, are you?"

Dustin sighs, and, for all his teasing, Steve does genuinely feel bad. "I still feel like if I breathe wrong, I'll hurl, so, no. I don't think I'll manage the car ride, nevermind the actual show."

"Sorry dude."

"Don't be. Some dickhead will live stream the whole thing on Instagram, anyway. I'll live vicariously through them."

Steve snorts and picks up the cooler. He got Anna dressed beforehand, so it's just a matter of getting her to stop playing with whatever toy she dug up - Play-Doh has been the fixation of the week - in her room so they can go.

"Besides," Dustin continues, and Steve hates where this is going. "Anna loved the show, and you've got a reason-"

"Nope," Steve says, knocking on Anna's door. "Don't finish that sentence."

"All I'm saying-"

"I know what you're gong to say, which means you know my answer. I don't date."

Anna opens her door. From the little Steve can see inside, there are at least three containers of Play-Doh open and strewn across the floor. He thinks her Barbies are involved in it somehow.

"Time to go," Steve says, and he thinks, Please don't let there be Play-Doh in the Barbie hair.

"Five more minutes," Anna tries.

"Nope. Clean up and roll out."

"Hi, Anna," Dustin says through the phone.

"Uncle Dusty!" Anna shrieks, and she starts jumping up and down. "Are you comin', too?"

Dustin sighs, and Steve can't tell if it's at the nickname or if he's still cursing the universe. "No, but you and your dad have a great time, okay?"

"Can you, can you tell Daddy I should get five more minutes?"

Steve raises his eyebrows at her. Anna, to her credit, ignores him wonderfully.

"If you clean up," Dustin says, because he's actually Steve's favorite person right now, "you get to do more headbanging at the concert."

Anna gasps like Steve didn't already tell her that earlier today, and she gets to work on putting her toys away. Steve helps, of course, and he finds that there is, in fact, Play-Doh in two of her Barbies' hair.

Fun. They're going to turn into Buzzcut Barbies when Anna goes to sleep because he can already tell that they are the furthest thing from salvageable.

But that doesn't matter right now. What matters is getting Anna in the car, deploying the first two of many strawberry kiwi Capri Suns from the cooler, and making the drive to the venue, which Steve does with minimal road rage and accompanied by the Disney radio station.

Success by all metrics, really.

Dinner might as well be now, so Steve shells out a truly disgusting amount of money for overpriced chicken nuggets and fries at the venue. Anna will only eat half her portion but say she's hungry later, but that's what the snacks and water Steve smuggled in via his jacket are for.

They get to their seats, dinner finished up, just as the lights go down for the first opener. Steve looks to his left, half-expecting Eddie and his friends to be there before remembering that they won't be.

He tries not to feel too disappointed. He fails miserably.

The seat next to him, however, isn't empty. There's a note taped to the back of it, one addressed to Steve and Miss Anna, so Steve feels alright taking and opening it.

At the top, there's a messily scrawled phone number. Underneath, it says:

Here's my number. Probably a bad idea to call with all the noise. Texting works, though you should do that after the show. I'll be a little busy until then.

-Eddie

Steve puts the note in his pocket, puts Anna's ear defenders on, puts his own earplugs in, and looks at the stage, where-

Hang on.

He squints at the stage, where four guys have started playing a song that, frankly, sounds too much like literally all the music Steve listened to yesterday for him to care about all that much. The drummer is pretty small, with wild, curly hair. The bassist looks familiar. The lead singer, who is very talented but not to Steve's personal taste, also looks familiar. And the guitarist-

No way. No way in hell.

It's a total coincidence. Lots of guys have long, curly hair and heavy jewelry and big eyes and are wearing formal wear, for some reason, and catch Steve's eye, and-

"Thank you for such a great welcome!" the guitarist says, and his smile totally isn't doing anything to Steve, thanks very much.

Anna stops moving, where she's standing next to Steve, and climbs up into his lap to get a better look at the stage. She looks out, then back at Steve, then out, then back at Steve, making a face as confused as Steve feels.

Some days, he thinks he ended up with a clone, not a kid.

"I'll get off the mic in a second. I only do the talking because Jeff," the guitarist points at the lead singer, who ducks his head, "is really shy."

Jeff. That name is definitely relevant, but Steve is a permanent resident of denial.

"We fought about what song we were going to include next in our set list, so much so that we didn't decide until yesterday and had to consult a tiebreaker."

Okay, maybe Steve is a less permanent resident of denial than he thought.

"So, thank you to Miss Anna, who did great at headbanging for her first time-"

Anna whips around so fast, her forehead nearly collides with Steve's jaw.

"And to Steve, who's a big fan of American Psycho."

At the song name, the crowd loses their minds, and if Anna wasn't sitting right in front of him, Steve would join them.

Because what the fuck is happening right now?

His question isn't answered. In fact, about five more questions pop up in its stead when, during the bridge of the song, Jeff puts on a clear rain jacket and picks up a prop axe.

Please, God, don't let this traumatize my kid, Steve thinks.

Anna, thankfully, doesn't get scared. When Jeff brings the axe down, again and again, Steve's weirdo daughter fucking smiles. And giggles. It's kind of cute, actually.

When the song ends, she turns back to Steve.

"That's Eddie onstage," Steve says, and saying it, somehow, makes it real.

"I thought so!" Anna says, and she turns back to watch the show. Steve puts an arm around her waist so she doesn't fall off his lap when she bangs her head to the music.

The rest of the songs, in Steve's opinion, are better than the opening song. They're more melodic, which Steve can definitely get behind, and each of them has a gimmick onstage, all based off of various horror movies. It's ridiculous, but also really, really cool.

And Eddie, onstage, because it is the same guy who flirted with him and was so sweet to Anna yesterday, is really, really hot.

Steve has never had a thing for guitarists before. He's never had a thing for musicians before. Hell, until a year ago, he didn't realize he had a thing for men.

Eddie is. Uh. Yeah. Really doing it for him.

Steve doesn't know whether it's his enthusiasm, or the way he moves, or seeing his hair tied up, or the fucking dress pants and suspenders, or just his hands, but he does know he has to get himself in check because this is an all ages show and he's here with his daughter.

He already knows he can't add these songs to his grading playlist, not when they're accompanied by visuals of Eddie playing his guitar.

Sweet Jesus.

"Alright, that's our set!" Eddie says. "Thanks, y'all, for sticking around for us, and let's give it up for the next act!"

The crowd, including Anna and Steve, cheer as they exit and the lights go up.

Steve fishes his phone out of his pocket, fully intending to add Eddie's number to his contacts, and is greeted by not one, not two, but sixteen missed calls from Dustin Henderson.

Naturally, Steve calls him back. "Who died?"

"What the fuck?" Dustin yells, and Steve just puts the phone on speaker to save the rest of his hearing. "Did Eddie fucking Munson just personally thank you from the stage?"

"Swear jar, Uncle Dusty!" Anna says.

"Sorry," Dustin says. "But Steve. Answers. Now."

"How do you even-"

"Instagram live. Is Eddie the guy you were telling me about yesterday?"

Steve takes his phone off speaker. Prior experience tells him that this conversation has a less than zero chance of staying PG, nevermind PG-13.

"Yeah," Steve says. "He is."

"The one who flirted with you, and you forgot to ask for his number."

"Well, I have it now."

"What?" Dustin shrieks, and Steve is incredibly thankful that he didn't take his earplugs out.

"He left me his number on the seat."

"Text him."

"I was going to, until I saw that you called me sixteen times."

"Jesus Christ, Eddie Munson was flirting with you."

Steve rolls his eyes and hands a pack of gummy bears to Anna when she taps his arm. "He could have just been nice. I don't even know if he's into guys."

"Have you looked at him?"

"Wow, Dustybuns, I didn't know you were homophobic."

"I think it's the complete opposite of homophobic to try to get you laid."

"Hanging up!" Steve shouts because a part of him will never see Dustin as any older than thirteen, and no thirteen year old should ever say that.

"Text-"

Steve hangs up the call. "Can I have a gummy bear?"

"No," Anna says, mouth full, in her seat, legs swinging.

"I bought them."

She shrugs. "You gave them to me. Mine now."

Steve stares. She stares right back.

He sighs and opens a new pack of gummy bears.

With his mouth full of sweet Haribo corpses, Steve takes out the note and adds Eddie to his contacts. Before he can overthink it, he sends him a message:

I guess I don't have to ask you what you do for a living. Just so we're even on that front, I'm a teacher, and Anna's full time job is preschool.

He tucks his phone back into his pocket and focuses on making this a good experience for Anna, who somehow wormed her way into a conversation with the intimidating-looking couple sitting next to her.

Because it's totally not like a literal rockstar is going to text him back. Right?

Part 3!!

[atdawn]

MERLIN | 4.05 His Father’s Son

[sixoclockuty]

my integrity design

doodles

[purple-st4rz-556]

I keep forgetting to be active here whoops....anyways it's Gorillaz Phase 1 OMG!!!!

OMFG I JSUT RELIZED THAT I DREW THE THUMB FACIND THE WROGN DIRECTION 💀💀💀

[late-night-vocaloid]

omg

[every-aj-needs-an-angel]

Part 4 of the Steddie Vegas AU! With a very special thanks to @estrellami-1 for fixing all my mistakes ❤️

Part 1 -- Part 2 -- Part 3

The concert was incredible! Steve didn't appreciate the band in the way his three companions did, but Metallica had put on a great show. The fans were having a ball! Even when they started what Eddie had called a mosh pit, which he'd been sceptical of at first until Eddie invited Steve to join him in it and he realised he'd never felt exhilaration like it, not with both feet on the ground anyway.

Overall, he'd had a fantastic time, a better time than he thought he'd have when they were standing in line for the venue. The fans surrounding them were dressed the same as they were, but it was almost like they could sense he didn't belong, like they could smell it on him. It wasn't like they were hostile or anything, everyone he met was super friendly, he supposed he just wasn't used to being a newbie or the odd one out.

And although very loud music really wasn't his favourite thing, he'd enjoyed being there, he'd delighted in the way Eddie lit up from the inside as soon as the first beat kicked in like all his dreams were coming true. Savoured the feeling of Eddie's hand in his, or his arm around his waist, or his legs around his neck from when a particularly tall guy had temporarily stood in front of them and Eddie was standing on his tiptoes desperately trying to see the stage, to Steve it just felt like the obvious solution! The finger to the eyeball wasn't all that fun and Eddie didn't seem too keen on being nine feet tall, but the song ended and the guy moved, and Eddie was happy enough back on the ground at Steve’s side, grinning ear-to-ear at him. Steve relished the smile Eddie sent him whenever he would recognise a song from one of Robin's many mixtapes, the first one he knew so well he was even able to sing along.

And Chris and Robin were nothing short of adorable! They spent the whole night wrapped around each other, singing together into an imaginary microphone like kids at a sleepover, dancing and screaming and jumping up and down. Stumbling home together, hand in hand, Robin so obviously falling more and more in love with every passing moment.

Honestly, it was one of the best nights of his life, revelling in the giddiness his three companions were exuding, stopping for delicious street food and heading back to Eddie and Chris' suite for the night, it was just... perfect.

Eddie's hair up his nose was the only thing that'd disturbed him from his blissful slumber. It'd been a while since he'd been the big spoon and he'd forgotten where he was supposed to put his face, and by the time he'd finally found a comfortable position, he and his stomach were wide awake.

Eddie was still sleeping peacefully, not that Steve was surprised; they hadn't exactly made sleep a priority, but it did make extracting himself from the bed all the more tricky. Not that Eddie cared, he slept like the dead. He didn't even stir as Steve wiggled his arm free from underneath him, he just kept snoring softly, still all snuggled up to the pillow he was hugging, a content smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

He knew the kitchenette was filled with goodies, he'd seen it all himself that night when Eddie had been snackish, but he was so hungry at this point he couldn't work out what he wanted and was now wishing he'd had something when Eddie had offered. He was rummaging through the cabinets when Chrissy came bounding through the front door dressed in her gym gear.

"Morning, hon!" she greeted cheerily, "Surprised you're up," she teased with a wink, making Steve grin. "Is His Royal Highness awake?" she asked, gesturing towards their bedroom door.

Steve couldn't keep the endeared smile off of his face as he thought about Eddie's face, all happy and relaxed, fast asleep and snuggled up. "Nah, still sleeping like a log," he muttered affectionately, absentmindedly rummaging through the cabinets.

Chrissy giggled, rolling her eyes with faux exasperation, "Make pancakes," she advised. "The smell of pancakes is the only thing that'll get him outta bed before noon," she informed him fondly, walking over and pulling the box out of the only cabinet Steve hadn't searched yet.

Pulling out the necessary implements and ingredients to tackle the task, he gave Chrissy a soft smile, "Thanks for the tip, the only thing I've found that works on Robin is the promise of waffles." Their new partner's similarities made them both giggle, "Speaking of, I said I'd take her to Rachel today, if you wanna join us?"

Chrissy's eyes lit up, "Really?" she asked disbelievingly, like maybe Steve was joking. Steve tried not to let his brows furrow, just smiled and nodded enthusiastically. She bounced excitedly on her toes, "That sounds so awesome! Thank you, Steve, you're so sweet!" she said, giving him a hug before heading towards her and Robin's room, her ponytail swinging wildly,"I'll just go take a shower and then I'll try to wake her."

"Good luck," Steve joked with a wave as she disappeared behind her bedroom door. God! That girl!

Being left alone in someone else's place should feel awkward, getting caught searching through their cabinets should too, but it just didn't. The four of them got along so well, it felt like they'd known each other forever. Even if in reality it'd been a little over a day, they each had easy smiles and deep affection for one another, and Steve so easily could see this life for the four of them. Sharing a space, he and Chrissy waking up early and maybe exercising together, making breakfast for the four of them, or maybe brunch if Eddie and Chrissy were going to be working late. Going to work with Robin, coming home to spend evenings together, watching movies and eating pizza, going to watch Eddie perform, going dancing together, maybe even…

He was dragged out of his musings by Eddie shuffling out of the bedroom, hooking his leg around Steve's hips and hoisting himself up to attach himself koala-style to Steve's back, "Good morning, Sunshine," Steve greeted cheerily, rebalancing himself.

"Hmmnph," came Eddie’s muffled response, huffing hot air all over the side of Steve's neck. It tickled, sending tingles down his body and making him feel giddy.

"I'll take that as good morning," Steve teased, kissing Eddie's forearm where it rested around his shoulder.

Eddie raised his chin to kiss Steve's neck, "Mornin'. Pancakes?" he asked, groggy and sleep-gruff.

Steve tried to dampen the grin on his face, but he just couldn't. Eddie was fucking adorable, all sleep rumpled and affectionate. Not that he wasn't affectionate when he was awake, it just felt amazing to have someone who was subconsciously affectionate towards him. "Yep, pancakes, especially for you," Steve declared, and when his stomach rumbled loudly, added, "And for me, 'cause I'm hungry," he admitted with a chuckle.

Eddie hummed fondly. Steve could feel Eddie's smile being pressed into the back of his neck and couldn't repress his own, nor the butterflies fluttering around in his stomach.

Steve wasn't usually one for it, spluttering words was usually Robin's forte, but he found in that moment the words just started spilling out of his mouth without really bypassing his brain, "I'm taking the girls to Rachel today, maybe you could come too? If you felt like it, you don't have to. It'd be amazing to spend the day with you, but this is your holiday. I get it if you don't wanna come-"

"Sweetheart," Eddie interrupted, gently turning Steve's head to face him, "Stop talking. I'd love to," he added, smiling so tenderly it made Steve want to burst.

"Okay," Steve murmured, blushing under Eddie's intense gaze and turning back to the pancakes as an excuse to hide it.

Eddie settled back against him, just watching him as he added the batter to the pan, flipped the pancake and slid it out onto the steadily growing pile. And although the monotony of the task was relaxing, feeling Eddie's intense gaze and his heartbeat thrumming against his back was so intimate, it thrilled Steve. He snuck a sneaky glance out of his peripheral, trying desperately not to think about what had Eddie so deep in thought.

He was losing his battle with just outright asking when the moment was abruptly interrupted by Robin barging into the living space, "There better be pancakes for me, Dingus," she yelled unnecessarily, flopping herself down on one of the sofas.

"Always," Steve called back. "Rachel today!" he reminded her, kind of excited to do something solely for his best friend for once. They did lots of things together, things they both enjoyed, but this was something just for her, something she'd wanted to do for a long time, and he was going to get to witness her in her full element. It was going to be like taking a kid to Disneyland for the first time, and honestly, he couldn't wait.

Eddie dismounted with a kiss to Steve's shoulder as Steve turned off the heat, collected the stack of pancakes and the empty plates, and headed over to the coffee table. It shocked Steve when he turned around to go back and found Eddie had Eddie grabbed the cutlery and the plate of fruits and syrups, so Steve wouldn't have to go back for them. Other than Robin, he'd never had someone who just did things like that. El and Dustin would do things when asked, Hop was the free-for-all type, everything you could possibly need already lived on the dining table and Claudia never let anyone help her do anything, mainly because her ex said some pretty nasty and uncalled for bullshit when he left. But Eddie had just helped, just like that. Steve had stood there gawking so long, Eddie just pecked him on the cheek and passed him to put the stuff down on the coffee table.

Robin was excitedly bouncing around the sofas, so much so both boys had to dodge her as they found a comfy spot around the table. Not that either of them minded, they both had affectionate grins for her childlike excitement. 

"Yes! Oh my god, I can't wait! Eddie, did you know..." she started, and Steve had to admit he kinda tuned her out a bit, he knew it wouldn't be anything he hadn't heard before, and honestly, watching the two of them interact was far more fascinating than facts about a small town.

They were amazing together, Eddie listened to Robin with rapt attention, nodding in all the appropriate places, asking questions that sent Robin deeper into a tangent instead of desperately trying to get her back on topic like some people did with her. Eddie only ever seemed to shift his attention away from her for long enough to put more pancake in his mouth or to beam softly back at Steve when he'd catch him staring.

And Robin seemed to genuinely enjoy spending time with Eddie. At the concert, he and Chrissy had gone off to the bathroom together, only to come back to Eddie and Robin dancing! He'd never seen her dance with another guy before, hell Robin would barely even dance with him, but somehow Eddie seemed to have cast a spell over her, it wasn't even forced dancing either, if anything he was pretty sure she was the one dancing with Eddie, and she was actually having fun doing it!

Steve had seen her fake her way through a friendship with the odd few people Steve had contemplated dating since Billy, but Robin, for all her wonderful qualities wasn't that good of an actor, and her friendship was far too important to fuck up. For all her eccentricities, he trusted her instincts. But she smiled genuine smiles and got into deep conversations and laughed raucously with Eddie. He'd probably be jealous if he didn't know beyond a doubt she was his soulmate and if he wasn't so smitten with Eddie himself.

Chrissy had arrived a short time after Robin began chatting away, wrapped in a fluffy dressing gown and a hair towel, but other than eating, she was similarly lost in the same world as he was. Steve liked that about her, that she was just as beguiled with his best friend as he was with hers. Because Robin deserved nothing but the best, and somehow he just knew that Chrissy was the kind of person who’d give her nothing less.

And as weird as it seemed, she felt like someone he knew. It felt almost like looking in a mirror when he looked at her, like when he watched her watching Robin, he just knew that she felt the same way about Robin as he felt about Eddie, like he could physically see her emotions flowing across the room.

Watching the three of them, he finally understood what it meant to feel content. He could've sat in his warm spot by the window watching them chatting and smiling and laughing all day. He wished he could take a picture to be able to remember it forever, but he didn't have a camera and unfortunately needed clean clothes and to pack a bag of essentials for a trip to the desert. So when all the pancakes were gone and the plates were finally empty, Steve gathered them and took them over to the kitchen sink, Chrissy following him, immediately taking the task of washing up off of his hands, and shooing him away the same way Claudia would, stating she’d already showered and Eddie and Robin were still deep in conversation, and she was happy to do it.

"Are you sure?" he asked her quietly. She just nodded, keeping one ear tilted toward the conversation going off in the lounge. Steve smiled gratefully and thanked her, disappearing off into the bedroom to steal the other ridiculously fluffy dressing gown from the back of the bathroom door. Wrapping it firmly around himself and checking he had his room key, he tried to wait for a lull in their conversation, but they were deep down a rabbit hole, so he gave up calling to the other two, "I'm gonna go take a shower and to get some clean clothes, meet back here in an hour?"

The conversation skidded to a halt as Eddie screeched, "An hour! What'll take an hour?" looking bewildered that anyone had even moved without his notice.

Steve was about to reply when Robin tutted and rolled her eyes, "His hair," she grumbled. She'd always hated how long he spent on haircare, her eyes had nearly bugged out when she'd been with him when he'd first bought new products. It didn't faze him, though, even now with all three of them giving him the same bemused look.

Steve headed for the door, shrugging, "Some of us aren't blessed with naturally perfect locks, sue me," he yelled as he left, letting the door fall shut behind him, heading downstairs to his room for a shower, taking the stairs for the same reason he’d borrowed the dressing gown instead of getting dressed: he didn't want anyone to think he was doing the walk of shame. People strolled around the hotel in the fluffy white robes, heading to the pool or the spa or even to breakfast, but wandering around in nighttime clothes with last night's eyeliner still smudged under your eyes said things about his night he didn't want anyone to think.

Luckily, he made it all the way to his room without bumping into anyone, sliding the key into the lock and shutting himself inside with a sigh. The light on the answering machine was flashing again, he knew it wouldn’t be his parents, but he wouldn’t be surprised if it was a lawyer. Steve pushed himself off the door and wandered over to hit the button. Thankfully it was just El. “Stevie! Dad’s trying to book a flight, so unless you want him crashing your sex holiday, I suggest you call. him. back! Love you!” Beep. Shit! He sat on the edge of the bed and called the cabin, it rang and rang but no one answered, he tried the station, but Flo just told him Hop wasn't on shift, but she’d let him know he called when she saw him. Steve just kept hoping he wasn’t too late! Claud! She’ll know how to get a hold of him! The phone rang a few times before Dustin picked up, “Hullo!”

“Dustin! It’s me.”

“Steve-o! Got my book?”

“What? No, not yet!” Steve snapped, “Your mom home?”

“Nope! She’s buying supplies for our epic tournament! Why?”

“Need to know where Hop is. Can you get El on the walkie?”

“Nope!”

“Why not?”

“Why haven’t you got my book yet?”

“I will, alright! I just haven’t had time to go shopping!”

“Like brother, like sister,” Dustin muttered and Steve could hear him shaking his head against the phone.

“Huh?”

“The reason I can’t get El on the walkie is because she’s too busy sucking face with Max! Which I’m assuming, and please don’t actually confirm, is the so-called reason you’re too busy to get my book!” Dustin grumbled.

“You’d be sucking face too if your girlfriend didn’t live a couple thousand miles away!” Steve points out.

“Touché! Hang on!” Steve heard Dustin put the phone on the counter, then the rustling sounds of him moving around and the static of the walkie as he picks the phone back up, “Max! Code red. Pick up!”

There was a pause and then Steve could just about hear Max shouting, “I swear to God, Henderson, this better be important! I’m talking life or death! Or you will. be. sorry!” 

Steve couldn't help chuckling to himself, no-one liked to be interrupted mid-make-out, but Max always had to take it to the next level. 

Dustin swallowed audibly before squeaking out, “Steve needs to know where Hop is!”

There was a pause and then El had the walkie, “Are you talking to Steve?”

“Yeah, he’s on the phone, where’s Hop?” Dustin enquired.

“He’s at Joyce’s, tell him dad’s flipping his shit!”

“I know!” Steve answered, even though chances are El can’t hear him.

“He says he knows!” Dustin repeated for him, because although he’s a little shit, he’s a good kid really.

“Okay, tell him I love him!” El yelled into the walkie.

“I’m not saying that!” Dustin huffed.

“Tell her I love her too!” Steve returned with a grin, because he does, but knowing it has the added bonus of annoying Dustin too makes it all the sweeter to say.

“I’m not saying that either!” Dustin squawked indignantly.

“You’re not saying what?” El asked at the same time as Steve adds, “Okay, shitheads, I love you all, I’m going to talk to Hop.” And just before hanging up, he hears Dustin mumble into the walkie, “He said he loves us!” making Steve grin wildly.

Luckily he still remembers the Byers’ number from his babysitting days. He punches in the code and then the number and swings his feet by the bed while it rings.

“What?” Hop snapped. Apparently, Max and El aren’t the only ones I interrupted!

“Hop, it’s Steve.”

“Fucking hell, kid! Where’ve you been?” Hop grumbled, but it had relief in it.

“Sorry. Vegas is wild!” Steve replied, as an excuse and an explanation.

“Too damn right! Did you really get married?” he asked, sounding kind of disappointed.

“Yep. I was too drunk to even remember doing it,” Steve admitted, sounding kind of disappointed himself, not that he did it, just that he doesn't really remember doing it.

“Joining the lonely and divorced club, then?” Hop only half joked. Steve vaguely remembers yelling that at Hop once upon a time after he’d broken up one of Steve’s parties, sending everyone home and leaving him in the silence of that massive empty house. He hadn’t meant it, doesn’t mean Hop hadn’t felt it, definitely gave him the right to tease Steve with it.

“No!” Steve asserted quickly, “Not if I can help it, no,” he confides because if anyone would understand it’d be Hop. And he did.

“Must be special,” Hop wondered aloud.

“So special! I could talk about him all day, but I’m taking Bobbie to Rachel today, I have to go,” Steve whined, because he really does want to stay on the phone with his dad and gush about his husband!

“Okay, okay, I’ll let you go. Just be careful, okay, kid?” Hop muttered affectionately.

“I will,” Steve assured him, “Love you!” he added, because he did.

“Love you, too” Hop replied before hanging up.

---------

Steve sighed heavily as he put the phone down, the silence of the room ringing loudly in his ears. He hated it, got up to turn the shower on, to warm the water and to fill the emptiness he felt now he’s finally well and truly alone. He absentmindedly twisted his ring around his finger, thinking about that one part of their wedding he could remember, wondering if maybe, just maybe, Eddie would like to do it again. Sober this time, with some friends and some family, I wonder if El’s too old to be a flower girl? The woods around the cabin would be nice! We could hang fairy lights! Steve stepped under the warm spray and let his mind run away with him, hoping that maybe, just maybe, this little daydream would come true.

Part 5

Tag list @gregre369 @adhdsummer @newtstabber @nerdfighteratheart @anaibis @hbyrde36 @dolphincliffs @marinarasarah just lmk if you want removing 💖

[p0rchc0ll4ps3]

if judit has 1 fan, that 1 fan is me

(harry's telling her some kind of stupid joke and judit's trying really hard not to laugh)

[synthaphone]

went to see tmbg yesterday and there was someone in front of us wearing a taylor swift tour tshirt; so me and gill are having fun with the hypothetical question of: if Taylor Swift were to cover a They Might Be Giants song, which one would she pick?

so far we have considered:

Twisting- Gill suggested this one on account of it being a bitter break up song; my argument against it was that it feels too rockin’

Narrow Your Eyes- briefly considered for the same reasoning as Twisting, then vetoed because it’d be a lot of work for her to switch the pronouns to be from the perspective of a woman, and we didnt think she’d be up for not switching them

Another First Kiss- this is a pretty saccharine one that doesnt seem hard to change the pronouns on; its biggest problem is being kind of a deep cut on account of Mink Car being a less popular album. Maybe she’d end up there if she told her assistants or producer or whoever helps her make her music to pick a song for her. Around this point was when we started working under the assumption that she is being forced to cover a They Might Be Giants song- her “okay, english major” comment to someone asking her about potential literary allusions in her lyrics makes me pretty sure TMBG would be too nerdy for her tastes. Also im just now realizing that if you switch the pronouns, the song now has a line about the boy walking around wearing all of the girl’s clothes. Taylor feels like more of a “im very heterosexual but i support LGBT people, love is love!!” type ally than a “im comfortable enough in my sexuality to sing a song with a line about appreciating my partner crossdressing”. she cares too much about what other people say about her online to take that kind of risk

Birdhouse In Your Soul - just cover their most famous, poppiest song. easy peasy. i feel like this is the true answer

anyway feel free to contribute to this thought experiment. i know a lot about TMBG and very little about Taylor, so there’s only so much i can really speculate

[werewolvesinthenight]

thinks about the concert where zero and rabbit call the spine a communist

[gu1lty-as-sin]

god theyre so hot

[jmflowers]

If you're still working on the prompt party- Liam gets sick or hurt for the first time. (I love a little angst) Please and thank you!

Well, I accidentally veered away from a little angst and stumbled into patented Mom Panic instead. I hope that's alright! This comfort writing brain of mine likes to subvert the guidelines.

~~~

Carina’s brow furrows as she swipes a hand across Liam’s tiny forehead.

He’d woken up fussy, whimpering all the way through a diaper change. It’s out of character for him – especially when she’d been singing. Especially when she’d rocked him and held him.

But then he’d been disinterested in a bottle, choosing instead to bury his face in her shirt, screaming bloody murder because she’d dared to sit down on the couch.

And now his skin is warm to the touch; warmer than is usual.

Carina sighs, swaying side to side with their little boy cradled in her arms as she dials Maya’s phone. Her shift won’t be over for another few hours, but it’s too early to go to the pharmacy and she’s not sure Maya’s unpacked whatever box her stash of infant first aid supplies ended up in.

Maya answers on the first ring, her bright smile shining through the phone on the other end. She’s seated in the beanery, the shoulders of other firefighters visible behind her. “You’re up early,” she greets.

The smile falls instantly when she hears Liam’s wail.

“What’s wrong?” she asks, rising from her seat. The beanery disappears behind her, quickly replaced by the hallway outside the gym. “Is everything okay?”

Carina nods, trying to quell Maya’s fear despite the racing of her own heart inside her chest. “Liam has a fever,” she explains, swinging her body a little more forcefully to help him quiet a bit again, “And I don’t know where that box is.”

“Okay,” Maya nods, looking around herself. Almost immediately, she’s moving again, pounding down the stairs with the station walls bouncing behind her. There’s a sharp flash of morning light and then a rush of red as she passes the engine. “What do we need?” she asks, apparently arrived at the aid car supply cabinets.

“No, no,” Carina sighs, entranced by this version of her wife who’d raid the fire department’s stock for their baby boy. “He is okay. Just stop at the pharmacy on the way home.”

“Okay,” Maya nods, slamming the cabinet doors, “I just have to let Andy know I’m leaving, then.”

Despite herself, Carina laughs. “Bambina,” she says, drawing Maya to a halt, “Take a breath.”

Shakily, Maya does as she’s told.

“We are okay,” Carina reminds her, tilting the phone so Maya can see that Liam’s tears have momentarily dried, his eyes fallen closed with his own exhaustion. “Finish your shift and then come home with some acetaminophen.”

“Okay,” Maya repeats, staring lovingly through the phone at Liam’s little face. “You promise he’s alright?”

Carina nods, leaning down to kiss his tiny cheek. It’s difficult, with the phone clutched in her other hand, but she manages. Maya’s smiling even wider when she surfaces again.

“He’ll be even better once you’re home to cuddle him.”

Maya blows a kiss, setting her hand against the screen to deliver it safely. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

[theflyingfeeling]

so I guess I'm gonna have to start the class on Monday a little later so that I can get that Nokia Arena show ticket lol

[deus-ex-mona]

when the shipxships—

[heartbreakfeelsogood]

laying on kell’s shoulder trying to remember this is real life and not a dream and they’re real and this is not a dream and they are with me and this is not a dream and we’re at the fob concert and this is not a dream and we’ll be together for the rest of the week and this is not a dream and this is not a dream and this is not a dream and this is not a dr