#conversations in cars

[atths--twice]

Day, Week, and Forever

Wanting to fill the silence in the car, Mulder asks Scully an interesting question.

I am always thinking about story ideas, living in my own head, and this came to me. I love thinking of the times when they were driving for miles and miles and what they would discuss in those moments.

Hope you enjoy it. ❤️

May 1999

“If you could be an animal, what kind of animal would you choose?” Mulder asked, breaking the current silence in the car.

“What?” Scully asked, turning her head to look at him.

“Enlighten me, Scully, and tell me the animal you would choose to be if given the opportunity,” he said with a grin, but then his expression changed as he remembered something and he scoffed. “And don’t say Eleanor Roosevelt’s beloved childhood cat or something as mundane as that.”

“What would be wrong with that choice?” she asked and he gave her a pointed look before turning his attention back to the road. “I’m sure if she had a cat it would be much beloved.”

“Boring,” he breathed as he shook his head and she laughed softly.

“Okay,” she said and he glanced at her as she shifted in her seat. “Am I this animal forever?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, am I picking said animal with the thought that I will forever be that animal or is this a one day type thing?”

“I don’t see the difference.”

“There’s a huge difference,” she said, crossing her legs as she looked at him, gesticulating with her hands. “I might not want to be one animal forever, but maybe… a couple different ones.”

He grinned and tapped his fingers on the steering wheel as he thought.

“Okay. Day, week, and forever. They can be the same or different. What would they be and why? Go.”

“Okay.” She turned her head and looked out the window, but then looked at him again. “Will I be safe?”

“What?”

“As this animal. Will I be safe? I won’t be prey for anything or harmed in any way?”

“Hmm. No,” he said, shaking his head. “You’re free to live your life as the animal of your choosing for the time period you’ve selected.”

“Good,” she said with a nod. “Then for the day, I’d like to be a fish.”

“A fish?”

“Mm-hmm. And not in a tank or anything. Out in the ocean.”

“Any particular species of fish?”

“Hmm… a parrot fish.”

“Okay. And why?”

“Because…” she said, a small smile on her face. “Well, the parrot fish in particular because I think they’re beautiful. Plus, they live in tropical environments, so the water would be warm.”

“Fair enough,” he said with a chuckle.

“And a fish in general, because I’d like to experience what it’s like to breathe underwater. To feel my gills moving to do so. And swimming. My mom used to say that I swam like a fish when I was younger. I’d like to know how that really feels. Swimming on my own, down in the quiet of the ocean.”

“You know, oceans aren’t actually quiet. There are-”

“The relatively quiet ocean,” she said, correcting herself as she rolled her eyes at him and he grinned.

“And for the week? Will you pick something similar to the fish?”

“No,” she said, smiling as she looked at him. “If it’s for a week, I’d like to be a horse.”

“A horse?” he asked in mild surprise.

“Yeah. But not a tamed one that’s kept in a stable and fussed over. Something wild… like a mustang living somewhere like New Mexico.”

“Okay. And why?”

“Well, while the animal isn’t the same, the reasoning is somewhat similar, I suppose,” she said with a shrug as she looked out the window. “The feeling I’d have to do what I wanted, when I wanted. I’d run on the plains or up the hills, through canyons… wherever really.”

“Alone?”

“No,” she said, turning her head to smile at him. “In a family group.”

“Of which you’d be the alpha mare,” he teased and she exhaled a laugh, looking back out the window.

“Most likely.”

“More than likely.”

“Imagine being a horse like that,” she said quietly. “Together with those you trust and care for the most. Running and roaming from place to place. Crossing rivers. Finding food. Seeing new foals born and watching them grow up. I think I’d like that.”

“But not forever,” he said, picturing a family group of horses beside a river at dusk. He could practically hear the young ones whinnying and the reassuring responses from the older ones.

“No,” she said with a sigh as she looked out her window again. “Not forever.”

It was quiet again and he glanced at her, wondering what she was thinking.

“If I had to choose which animal to be forever,” she said, nearly whispering. “I’d choose to be a cat.”

“A… a cat?” he asked, completely taken aback. “Of all the animals in the world?”

“Yeah,” she replied. “I’d be a cat. Specifically a cat living with an old woman in an even older farmhouse. It would look rather rundown from the outside, the paint fading and the porch steps sagging a bit, but it would be the best place I’d ever lived.”

“Tell me more about it,” he said, the image of a farmhouse appearing in his mind.

“She’d have a garden that she tended to every day,” Scully continued, leaning back in her seat and sighing. “There would be all kinds of vegetables, fruits, and flowers. I would lay in the shade provided by the large leaves, the sun warming me as she hummed and went about her work. She’d call me puss-puss when she was in the garden, sweet lady when she was cooking in the kitchen and I watched her from the chair she set aside just for me, and kitty-Katie when I laid beside her at bedtime, although that was not the name she gave me after I showed up at her porch one evening.”

“What was the name she gave you?”

“Adelia.”

He stared at her profile, marveling at the quickness to her response. It was as though she had thought of this scenario before he had asked.

“Adelia,” he repeated and she nodded.

“The old woman had lost a cat, you see. She’d had it for years and just before I showed up, it had passed. She didn’t want me, as her grief was too fresh, but I was in desperate need of help and she brought me inside. I still wasn’t doing well by the morning so she took me to the vet. When he saw me, he told her that I might not make it, but she said she knows I will. After three days, I was better and able to go home with her. Well now, she said to me as I curled up on her lap in her beat up old truck. I lost my sweet pussums and I was missin’ her terribly. I wasn’t lookin’ for a new cat and I certainly didn’t want you at first. But when he said you might not make it, I made a deal with the good Lord up above. And those kinds of deals well… ya have to stick to ‘em. So, my Adelia, aptly named for the deal I made with the man upstairs, we’re heading home. When you’re stronger and you’ve had some days layin’ out in the sunshine, we’ll set about to fulfill our side of the deal.”

She was quiet again and Mulder shook his head, his mind traveling in the truck with them as they rumbled down the road back to that old farmhouse.

“She’d made up a little spot for me on the porch for me to rest and sleep, but I preferred the rocking chair that sat in the corner,” Scully continued and now he was on the porch watching the old woman moving furniture around to accommodate the rescued cat. “It was her chair and she selflessly let me have it, bringing over another one to sit beside me. But eventually I would sit in her lap as she pet me, humming as she rocks the chair. When I’m stronger, she sets about fulfilling her promise. She grows the food in her garden and gives it to others who need it. She preserves, cans, and bottles anything she can and gives it to neighbors and people in town. I go with her on her deliveries and everyone says hello, giving me pets and scratches.”

Mulder exhaled, the details of the story making him feel that this had really happened. Or could happen.

The farmhouse, everything inside and surrounding it, was so clear in his mind, it was as though they could take a left turn up ahead and find it exactly as Scully had described.

“The old woman,” she said quietly. “She has a niece that comes to visit sometimes. She helps in the garden and listens to the old woman tell her how to can and preserve the fruits and vegetables. They laugh and stay up late into the night while I sleep on one of my various spots. But then, one day the old woman doesn’t get up early like she usually does. After that morning, she’s slower than normal and she tires out easily, spending most of the day in the porch rocking chair. I don’t mind as I get her full attention, purring happily as she pets me.”

“Hmm,” Mulder hummed, not liking where he knew the story was going.

“Adelia, the old woman says to me one day. Adelia, I feel a change in the air. In my very bones,” Scully said, letting out a sigh. “You’ve been a wonderful cat to me. A comfort like you’d never fully understand. And I’m sorry I’ll have to leave ya soon. You’ll be taken care of, I’ve seen to that, but I’ll miss ya, oh so very much.”

“Scully,” Mulder whispered warningly and he heard her sniff softly.

“The old woman’s niece comes to stay and I’m happy to see her, but it’s not the same. They aren’t up late laughing. They are quiet and the old woman doesn’t leave her bed much. Soon not at all. And then one day she does and she doesn’t come back.” Scully sniffled again, wiping her eyes. “I wait for her on the porch, look for her in the garden, meowing for her and waiting to hear her calling for me. But it never happens. People come over, lots of people. They give me scratches and pets, but I don’t want them. I only want the old woman. I sleep on her pillow and I don’t eat for a few days, not understanding where she’s gone and why I can’t find her. One night, the niece comes to the bedroom and lays down beside me, watching me with sad eyes. Hey, kitty-Katie, she says softly and my ears perk up. I know you miss her. I do too. But we’ve got each other. We’re going to be okay. I don’t understand exactly what she means, but I get up and lay down beside her, purring for the first time in days as she holds me and cries.”

Mulder gripped the steering wheel, blinking away the tears in his eyes and swallowing hard to get past the lump in his throat.

“When she starts to work in the garden, singing softly as she wears the old woman’s apron and big sun hat, I watch her from the porch. She sees me and smiles before she goes back to the garden. I walk off the porch, watching her curiously. I follow her, staying in the tall leaves where she can’t see me, waiting for something, though I don’t know what it is. Hey, puss-puss, she calls out and I meow and purr at the same time, running up to her and winding around her ankles. There’s a good girl, she says as she bends to pet me. When she stands up again, I see both her and the old woman. I lay down under the shade of the leaves, closing my eyes as I listen to her singing as she works.”

“Jesus Christ, Scully,” Mulder said, shaking his head. “I wasn’t expecting that. I was just attempting to fill the silence.”

“I didn’t anticipate it going that far,” she replied, sniffling as she too shook her head. “I honestly hadn’t ever thought about it before and it all just came to me. I could see it all happening so clearly.”

“Me too,” he whispered, still hearing the niece singing as she tended to the garden. “It was a really beautiful thought and told very well.”

“I do have an imagination, Mulder.”

“Yes, I am aware,” he said with a quiet laugh. “I admit, I was just surprised by the depth of the explanation.”

“Hmm. I’m sure you could have a field day analyzing the different animals and my reasoning behind each of them,” she said and he glanced at her as she wiped her eyes. “Especially the cat.”

“Adelia, you mean.”

“Yeah, Adelia,” she said with a smile.

“Nah,” he said, shaking his head. “I don’t think I’d want to analyze it.”

“No?” she asked, raising her eyebrows in surprise.

“I think your reasons were good and made perfect sense. And I also think if I thought too much more about Adelia and the old woman, well… I might embarrass myself when I blubber like a giant baby.” She laughed quietly and he smiled. Seeing a road sign advertising places to eat, he pointed to it. “You hungry?”

“I could eat,” she said with a shrug. “And while we do, you could tell me your three animals, unless you have just one in mind.”

“Day, week, forever?” he asked incredulously. “Naaaaah, there will definitely be three and the first one will obviously be a dragon.”

“A dragon is not a real animal. You never said anything about mythical creatures being an option,” she stated and he shrugged as he turned on the blinker.

“Never said it wasn’t either. You didn’t ask.”

“Because you said animals. Not animals and mythical creatures.”

“Did you want to change any of your answers?” he asked as they exited the highway. Stopping at the light, he looked at her as she sat in thought.

“No. I’m happy with my choices,” she answered.

“Not even to be a pegasus instead of a horse?”

She raised her eyebrows and then frowned, shaking her head.

“No. I’m sticking with my choices.”

“Okay,” he said as he turned left. “But when my choices blow yours out of the water, just remember I gave you this chance.”

“I think I’m good,” she said as she rolled her eyes, a small smile tugging at her lips.

“We’ll see,” he replied, turning into the parking lot of the advertised diner.

But even as he told her his choices: a dragon, owl, and wolf, he could not help but think of that little old farmhouse and a cat hiding beneath the large leaves in a sunny and well tended garden.

[is-this-yuri]

help me move out of my tiny car and into a vehicle like this!

i'm disabled and homeless, and while i'm in the process of getting approved for disability, i need more safety and stability.

with a larger vehicle like these, i could have enough space to install a kitchen, bed, electricity, shower, etc, and essentially make a home out of it. if you've ever wanted to help house a homeless person, please consider donating to my fundraiser!

the goal is 10k, but vehicles like this sell for much cheaper! as soon as i can, i'll purchase a suitable vehicle and start the project immediately. i'll use whatever i don't spend buying the vehicle for maintenence it might need, the tools and materials i'll need to convert it, plus the legal stuff surrounding registration, first year of insurance, etc. anything still left after that will be used to just allow me to live longer and have a safety net while i get income.

this is something i've been dreaming of for a long time, and as the housing market gets crazier i've realized it's probably the only way i'll have a stable home. i've been researching this project for years and i'll have some helping hands, so your money will be used well to create a home for me.

we're on pace to get me into a van by the end of summer or early autumn, and i could finish the conversion before it starts snowing! this is way sooner than i ever expected. please consider donating, and/or boost this post to keep up the momentum!

GFM

$733/10k

[lilybug-02]

Some Symptoms of ADHD from Someone who is diagnosed:

Forgetfulness that impacts daily life

Difficulty remembering others names and even faces

Hard to stop fidgeting or moving when bored. Difficult to stop even when aware

Hyperfocus

Lack of motivation in tasks, even more so when external motivations are not given

Difficulty in being organized for extended periods of time

[[Symptoms of Adult ADHD]]

[boatem-probler]

been chewing on this conversation between pearl and gem this week:

Gem: I know you didn't kill me!

Pearl: So what are you cranky about?

...

Gem: I'm just- you know, I wanted some drama! So, this is the drama, you're welcome.

Pearl: "This is the drama". You're telling me we could've been friends this whole time but you're just like "yoohoohoohoohoohoohoo... I hate you!"

Gem: Yeah, I mean, why not!

and i'm connecting it to gem in empires season 2, where like. in the context of the fiction everyone else had been living in that world their whole lives and that's their reality, like, it's real to them.

and meanwhile gem is just roleplaying. like, she was a being from another world who just came there because she wanted to play at being a human princess for a while. and then when she's called away she's just like. anyway i was never actually a princess or a mortal being from this dimension and we're never gonna see each other again, sorry for the existential crisis, bye!

and anyway i think she has a similar deal in the life series. like, everyone else is there because they're trapped in the Torment Nexus, gem is there because she wants to be.

[deoidesign]

I'm so mad that post was misinformation because there is actually an EXTREMELY important conversation to have about the production schedules artists are forced into. There's no need for exaggeration, the conditions are bad.

I work for webtoon. My publication schedule is weekly. While publishing I'm required 10-15 pages a week. Fully colored.

This means I'm finishing a 150 page fully colored graphic novel every 10-15 weeks.

When my comic is not updating, I am not getting paid. Any time writing, editing, or off is out of my own pocket. I don't get healthcare. They do not provide any assistants. They expect me to promote myself; they chose to deprioritize me before I even launched and gave me an end date half a year in. I never had a chance.

And this is the industry standard! Every company has artists forced into crunch hours, overtime, and burnout. Artists are literally dying early due to it. So many of my friends can't afford to go to the doctor.

It's unsustainable and untenable, and it's also the expectation our audiences have.

If we want to have this conversation, there's plenty of conversation to be had with the realities of the situation. It's bad as is.

[abdquffa9]

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This is my little niece 🫂

An indescribable scene, this little girl is trying to get food to feed her younger siblings,❗️❗️ and she is sad because she did not provide them with the appropriate amount, is it the fault of these children that this happens to them? And can the world watch these scenes and remain silent?

Can you stand by us and support🍉 us? Please 🙏🙏do not ignore this appeal🙏🙏🙏🙏🍉🍉🍉🍉🇵🇸

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[jacky93sims]

Car Park Toy Functional for The Sims 2

This is a 4to2 conversion from AroundTheSims, low poly. It's a functional toy for children and toddlers. It's cloned from a Dollhouse so it will work in the same way. However sims will use cars instead of dolls to play with it. It has also a broken stage.

DOWNLOAD HERE

-------------------------------

If you want to support my creations, you can send me a donation with Paypal or Ko-fi ☕ If you want to ask for a Paid Commission, HERE you can find more details. Thank you ❤️

[texaschainsawmascara]

Jemima Kirke & Paz de la Huerta

high school circa 2001-2005 / 2013

bonus

[greatestjubilee]

[gothamcity-official]

Someone blew up all the in-person ballots before they got counted and we have to vote again. This happens almost every year so I hope you were prepared for it.

In other news, someone managed to get a video of Red Robin and Nightwing swinging into each other on their grappling hooks. They got tangled and had to wait for Black Bat to free them.

[carsthatnevermadeitetc]

Plymouth GTX Electromod, 2024, by Mopar. A 1967 Plymouth GTX concept powered by a prototype Mopar e-Crate propulsion package that will be presented at this year's SEMA show. The restomod GTX points to the future possibility of battery-electric vehicle (BEV) conversion kits for enthusiasts to build or convert classic cars and trucks into BEVs. The Mopar design team also widened the rear-wheel openings and fitted a custom carbon-fibre hood with dual functional air extractors.

[orphanbychoice]

atp i genuinely doooon’t care if the old guard two is the worst thing put to film i just want to see the best character of all time (andromache the scythian) and her loser henchmen and everyone’s favorite girl nile freeman again

[takami-takami]

Scent Kink!Keigo who's raptorial senses have been finely honed like a sharpened blade for as long as he can remember. For all his analytical prowess, he could never quite pinpoint the exact cause of his heightened senses. Perhaps it, like most things, is a combination of nature and nurture— avian DNA and brutal, militant training. The source matters little to him. Keigo has always been one for outcomes.

Scent Kink!Keigo who discovers pretty early on in your friendship that your scent is distinct. If he could put it into words, the first that would come to mind is warm. It smells warm when he sits next to you on the couch, bouncing his leg like a dog that smells something delectable right under its nose yet tries to behave and contain himself all the same. Your neck is perfectly bare. If he could just lean over and bury his nose in whatever crevice is most available, he'd die a happy man. 

Scent Kink!Keigo who is actually so normal about your scent, all these years later. Sure, he memorizes your smell, conjures up the scent in his mind's eye whenever he has trouble sleeping at night. The thought of it soothes him, aids in building his picturesque fantasies of you holding him from behind and shushing the bad dreams away. But he's very normal about it. Of course he's attached— you're his best friend.

Scent Kink!Keigo who can't remember the first time your scent began to cause his pants to grow tight. He thinks it was that night you arrived late for your usual meetup, panting and running before throwing your arms around him and apologizing, promising you ran just to make sure he didn't wait too long. He remembers his eyes widening while his pupils shrunk to dots, overwhelmed by the potency of you invading every sense. It made his cock throb. He made an excuse to hide in the bathroom within the hour.

Scent Kink!Keigo who does a remarkable job at containing the whine in his throat when you show him around your new apartment, quickly discovering you didn't bother to put away your laundry basket before he arrived. Why should you worry about your best friend seeing it? Keigo would never hold ill intentions. Keigo would never stuff a pair of your panties in his back pocket, Keigo wouldn't dream of fantasizing the second he secures it, flashes of the misbehavior he could get up to conjured quickly in his mind.

Scent Kink!Keigo who fidgets and avoids your eyes when you insist he stay so you can feed him takeout that night. The weight of his prize stings against his thigh; and as much as he loves your company, something else is calling to his attention right now. He quickly makes an excuse, faking a dispatch call by your window and waving once before he takes flight.

Scent Kink!Keigo who's brain glitches when he gets home and realizes he has to decide what to do first: take out his cock to touch himself and relieve the pressure straining in his pants, or pull your used panties out of his pocket. He picks the second option.

Scent Kink!Keigo who's whining in his bed moments later, your scent finally rubbed across his face with his hand fisting between his legs. It's like static when he twists his wrist with each stroke, imagining the smell of sex in the air as you ride his cock. Eyes rolled into the back of his skull, he swears the scent of your freshly used panties is enough. At least for tonight. At least until he needs a little refresher for his memory and has to snag another.

Scent Kink!Keigo who thinks he's a degenerate. He's a pervert. He's a sick freak who gets off on his crush's panties stuffing his mouth to muffle his moans, his saliva drenching the poor fabric; and he's even sicker for getting his dick wet to the thought of you catching him and repeating those insults in his ear while you sit on his face. He's sick, imagining himself inhaling it right from the source, spilling all over his abdomen to the thought of it.

Scent Kink!Keigo who is entirely, utterly fucked when you decide to move in together as roommates. Trouble isn't something he considered before. He's too excited by the idea of being around you to consider the repercussions on his mental health to be in such close proximity to you when night falls.

Scent Kink!Keigo who doesn't know whether it's a blessing or a curse that your room is directly adjacent to his. He knows exactly when you're touching yourself in the next room over.

Scent Kink!Keigo who throws his head back with a groan, hand ghosting down his happy trail and sliding beneath his waistband to grab his swelling cock again.

[morganbritton132]

Eddie posts a Tiktok that starts with him wedging himself between Steve and Wayne on the couch. He gives Steve a smile that all mischief as he says, “You know what being in Wayne trailer reminds me of?”

Steve, who knows what that kind of smile means: Don’t

Eddie: Remember before Wayne knew we were dating-

Wayne: *scoffs at the notion that there was a time before he knew they were dating*

Eddie, rolling his eyes: Okay, fine. Wayne always knew because we were super obvious, whatever. He has excellent gaydar. Before we told Wayne.

Eddie: Steve would stay over a lot and if a Wayne wasn’t working, he’s sleep on the couch so he didn’t suspect nothin.’ That was the arrangement until Wayne said…

Eddie, in his Wayne-ist voice: Eddie, get your boy in your room so I can hear myself think at night.

Eddie: ‘Cause you know, Steve snores and it was keeping Wayne up.

Steve: I didn’t snore back then!

Eddie: You definitely did, but my point is. Talk about the quietest blow-

Steve, smacking Eddie’s arm: Shut up! That’s not- We did not! Ever. Not where - So, just be quiet.

There’s a beat of silence and Wayne turns the page in the newspaper he was reading. Then he says completely straight-faced “Sure was a squeaky bed” and Eddie busts out laughing.

Steve just leaves.

[2btheanswertothequestion]

(part 3 of November Paramedic; part 2 is here.)

When Gareth mentioned a plan to locate Eddie’s paramedic in shining armor, Eddie assumed it'd be him getting into various accidents all over Indianapolis. It's something the little shit would've found funny, okay! But, Gareth's plan is much less hazardous and slightly more logical: lurk around the university until they spot him. Like a pair of drug dealers trying to tempt the goody-two-shoes protagonist into addiction and sin on an 80s Saturday morning cartoon.

It's not the simplest task since they don't know when Steve might be there. Also, other responsibilities mean they can only spare so many hours loitering. So, thirteen days post-hatching plan and nineteen days post-meeting Steve (not that Eddie's been counting or anything), with nothing to show for their ethically questionable behavior, Eddie is ready to give up. Especially since both of them have a rare simultaneous day off. Usually, those are spent jamming, smoking, playing D&D… literally anything other than this.

"This is fucking stupid," he says, cigarette clenched between his teeth. "We're not gonna run into him."

"Sure we are," Gareth says. He drops his butt among the dozens they've chain-smoked and lights another without meeting Eddie's gaze. "We're getting closer. I can feel it."

"The only thing you're feeling is delusional. It's time to give up."

"Eddie, c'mon-"

"Nope." One last drag and Eddie stomps out his cig. "Fuck this; I'm out."

He stalks toward his van at the far end of the parking lot. Gareth curses before running after him.

"Dude!" he exclaims, jogging to keep up with Eddie's longer strides. "You can't just give up! What about what you said-"

"I was being stupid. What was I even imagining? We orchestrate another meeting and, what, I use my freakish wiles and seduce him? And then we'll live happily ever after…" Eddie shakes his head. "It doesn't work like that. He'd probably turn out to be a douche anyhow."

"No, listen!" Gareth seizes Eddie's arm and yanks him to a stop in the middle of the lot. "You always do this. Self-sabotage and cut things short, even when there's potential."

Eddie scoffs. "You know what else always happens? I end up liking them more than they like me. It's not fun."

"You don't know it'll be like that this time. You have to try."

"No."

Eddie takes a step back. He's done; he's out. Gareth reaches for his wrist to pull him back in. He jerks away, almost losing his footing and stumbling into the burgundy car behind him. Gareth's arms shoot out to help, but Eddie steadies himself before crashing. For a second, silence reigns as they assure everyone's on solid ground. Then Eddie opens his mouth to once and for all-

"Eddie? Gareth?"

Their heads snap to the side, eyes landing on… Max? Looking unusually dressy in high-waisted shorts and a fitted top under an oversized jacket, and her hair in a high ponytail. She's got her skateboard under her arm, a messenger bag with a textbook sticking out, and a confused furrow between her eyebrows.

"What are you doing here?" she asks.

Fuck. They can't tell her the truth – she'll never let him live it down. Fortunately, Gareth realizes this too, because he says:

"Uh, I go to school here? What are you doing here? The math building is way over there."

She rolls her eyes and leans on the burgundy car. It's a shiny BMW M5 – the limited anniversary edition. Jesus fucking Christ, Eddie almost dented that thing! It's worth more than his life. And Max is slouching against it like it's nothing. He could warn her not to scratch it, but she's unlikely to care; she's always been metal that way.

"Waiting for my friends," she says. "We have dinner on Tuesdays."

Eddie's ears ignite. Dinner? With friends? While wearing what's basically a date outfit?

"Ooohhh…" he says, sharing a grin with Gareth. "And do these friends include someone special?"

She shrugs, looking anywhere but at him. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"C'mon, Red! You're killing me! I need to know if he's good enough for you."

His fingers hover over her ponytail, as if to tug at it. She slaps his hand away.

"You're annoying."

He laughs. This terrible day just became infinitely better. He won't rest until he gets what he wants – or until she punches him, which'll probably come first. He's about to tell her so when a voice calls her name. Both turn to look, and…

It's a boy Max's age. He's beaming and waving, quickening his steps toward her. She smiles too, almost shyly, as she waves back. It's the perfect opportunity for teasing, if Eddie's day hadn't just become infinitely better.

His tongue is heavy, his skin is itching, his heart is bruising his ribs from the inside. Sweat is gathering in his pits and it's getting a little hard to breathe. Because walking half a pace behind the boy, carrying a huge duffel with such ease it might actually be stuffed with feathers, is… is…

"Yesssss!" Gareth hisses next to him. He may also be fist-pumping. Eddie isn't looking.

"Hey!" The boy stops in front of Max. "Sorry, practice ran late."

"It's okay," she says, cooler than ice, though her eyes are glittering. "I just got here."

She says something else, or maybe the boy does? It's all background noise, because Steve has caught up. Steve, in jeans and a polo that must've been tailored to his exact measurements because oooooooooohhhh boy. Steve, unshouldering the bag, muscles shifting and straining under his shirt with the movement. Steve, smiling, his golden eyes flying over Eddie.

"Hey! Eddie and Gareth, right?"

Eddie draws a sharp breath. He remembers!

"Y-Yeah!" he squeaks, hands fluttering to either wave or shake hands, ultimately doing neither. "Hi! You're here!"

"I am," Steve says, casual, as if inane conversations with former patients happen on the regular.

(It better not – Eddie doesn't do well in competitive settings.)

Max, keen eyes darting between them, asks, "You know each other?"

"Met at work," Steve says. "Or, I was working and he…"

"Ah." Max taps her temple. "That."

"How do you know them?" the boy asks her.

She points at Eddie. "Neighbor. And that's the guy who dumpster dives outside our apartment building."

Gareth flips her off. Eddie would laugh, but he's busy pretending he doesn't know what Steve looks like shirtless. It's hard (pun slowly growing more relevant) – his gaze keeps dropping to the polo's undone top button. Steve is just as gorgeous out of uniform, and now Eddie's thighs are tingling with want. He could stare at him forever…

Unfortunately, 'forever' is cut short by a woman arriving in a flurry. Wait, no. 'Flurry' implies some sort of graceful whimsy, while this person… she's a hurricane crashing into a house.

"Sorry I'm late! Nielsen wouldn't stop talking and got angry when people started leaving because it's an important lecture so this girl called him out for not keeping time because he goes on all these tangents and he said they're interesting tidbits and she said it's disrespecting our time and-" She pauses for breath. "You don't care, do you?"

Max, Steve, and the boy shake their heads.

"Right. Sorry." The woman turns to Eddie and Gareth. "Hi! I'm Robin. And you are?"

"My neighbor and his friend. Steve treated his concussion," Max rattles off, glaring at them. "You didn't answer my question: why are you here?"

Gareth frowns. "I told you," he says, pointing at the building. "School." He points at himself. "Student."

Max glares harder. "You don't have class on Tuesdays. And Eddie doesn't go here at all."

"I had stuff I needed to drop off."

"Is tagging along a crime? Jesus."

Max doesn't reply, though her glare remains.

Robin hums. "Okay, so this is super-enjoyable, I love just standing around, but I'm starving, so…" She looks at Steve, who nods.

"Yeah, we're going," he says, but neither moves. He glances at Eddie, which makes her glance at Eddie, and then they make a series of eyebrow-movements at each other, ending in a shared smile. Steve asks, "Have you guys eaten yet?"

Eddie shakes his head, pulse racing. Is this going where he thinks it is?

"D'you wanna come with? There's this diner we like…"

Holyshityesitis!

"Yeah!" Fuck, too eager. "I mean, uh, sure, sounds good."

"Cool." Grinning, Steve clicks a remote car key; the burgundy BMW beeps. What the fuck? How high is a paramedic's salary?! "Did you drive here?"

"I, uh…" Eddie falters. Shit, wasn't he supposed to? It's been three weeks and he feels fine – he thought he was in the green!

"Nope! I did!" Gareth says, 'proving' it by hauling his house keys from his pocket and jingling them.

Steve nods. "Should be safe for you to drive again, but the less strain you put on your brain, the better. Even a mild concussion isn't anything to sneeze at."

"Y-Yeah, I've been taking it easy. Basically done nothing. Until now."

Max snorts. Eddie is going to pour coffee through her mail slot.

They decide Eddie and Gareth will follow Steve's car to the diner, since Steve can't fit all of them (the real reason he asked if they drove here, duh). It's good because Eddie gets the chance to panic/gush/collect himself in the privacy of his van. It's bad because Gareth drives, lest their fib be revealed. Gareth spends the ten-minute journey gloating about driving Eddie's beloved girl, interspersed with 'I told you so!'s.

The diner is cozy, all wooden furniture and sepia photographs on the walls. A graying waitress who smells like tobacco directs them to a booth and takes their orders. An awkward silence then falls as they wait for someone to speak.

The boy clears his throat. "My name is Lucas, by the way. I don't think I said." After shaking his hand and introducing themselves, Lucas says to Eddie, "I think Max has mentioned you."

"Oh yeah? I've been dying for her to mention y- Ow!"

Eddie rubs where Max kicked his shin. Her glare is murderous. Lucas is blushing happily, though.

"So, what d'you guys do?" Robin asks.

Right. Time to small-talk like adults. Eddie gets his job as a mechanic out of the way, then gives the word to Gareth, who tells them he's a creative writing major. Robin turns out to be getting a masters in linguistics and Lucas studies biology.

"I don't actually know what I want to do, but biology feels broad enough to give me options, y'know? I can go to med school, or forensics, or, I don't know, paleontology?" he says. Max glows brighter with every word that comes out of his mouth. Cute.

This then segues into talking about their friends, who by the sound of it lead incredibly interesting lives.

"Dustin's at MIT, Mike's at Oxford, Will's in San Francisco…" Lucas says, counting on his fingers.

Max interjects, "El's in Africa building houses and teaching kids English."

"Erica is still at home, finishing high school and drowning in early acceptance letters to, like, every Ivy League there is," Steve says with a look of pure pride.

"Nancy and Jonathan – they're our age – are chasing scoops in Afghanistan… " Robin says.

"... and Argyle is also in California," Lucas finishes.

Eddie whistles. "And here we are, still in Indianapolis."

"Dude, I'm surprised I got this far," Steve says. "Wouldn't've managed without her."

He jerks a thumb in Robin's direction, who preens at the acknowledgment. Robin's cool, Eddie decides. Garrulous but fun and nice… and verrrrrrrrry close to Steve. The kind of close where they're always in each other's space. Where they wordlessly transfer food between their plates. Where Steve unceremoniously wipes a speck of ketchup off Robin's chin after she repeatedly fails to get it. They're comfortable, but not necessarily romantically affectionate. Like they're siblings rather than lovers.

(Dear God, if you are in heaven, let them be siblings.)

Conversation flows. They joke around, tell stories, swap opinions. Robin gets passionate about tonal shifts when stage shows are adapted to film, and Eddie tries not to stare at Steve's mouth as he eats. And then, once their plates are cleaned and they're waiting for dessert, Gareth leans his elbows on the table and fixes Steve with a purposeful look.

"I figured out where I've seen you before."

Eddie stiffens.

Steve blinks. "At campus, right?"

"Thought so, but no. I realized it's actually…" Gareth chuckles. "It's ridiculous, but uh, my mom had this calendar…"

Steve recoils, red flooding his face. Robin, Lucas, and Max shriek in delight, Robin grabbing Steve's arm and shaking it as he hides behind his hands.

"And my mom," Gareth says between bursts of laughter, "she's shameless, all right? She kept it in our kitchen. So during, what was it, November?"

"November," Steve confirms, muffled.

"For 30 days, if I wanted to check the date or make a notation… I saw you."

Tears stream down Robin's face, she's laughing so hard. She and Max have started chanting 'Slut! Slut! Slut!' at the still crimson Steve.

"You don't understand," Lucas says, gesturing for emphasis. "We've been waiting for someone to come up and say 'hey, weren't you…?' for years. Thank you so much!"

"Hey, thank my mom," Gareth says. Eddie's quite stunned he'd throw his own mother under the bus like that. She's a really nice person, too!

"Makes sense," Max says. "Moms love Steve."

"All parents do," Lucas says.

Cackling, Robin pinches Steve's cheek. "Gotta hide your mom and your dad around Steve!"

Steve bats her off, flushed but smiling. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. You got your wish, now shut it."

That only makes the three restart the chant to ridicule him for his harlotry. Steve's indignant squawk that 'it was for charity!' merely has everyone laugh more.

And Eddie? Well. As he sits beholding this man who works as a paramedic and drives a luxury car, who models for charity and allows his friends to mock him for it, who blushes and giggles when they lovingly call him a whore…

All Eddie can think is that he's in fucking trouble.

Afterward, it only makes sense for Eddie to drive Max home. Steve shakes his hand outside the diner, saying it was nice to see him again. Eddie, not knowing how to ask for Steve's contact info without seeming weird, agrees. He waits until the BMW drives off, then tells Gareth to get the fuck out of his seat. Gareth relocates to the backseat, whining since Max already called shotgun.

The initial minutes, they're quiet. Then Max turns to Gareth and says:

"When were you telling me Eddie is your mom?"

"Huh?"

"You said you knew about the calendar because of your mom. But that's not true."

The warmth drains from Eddie's face; his knuckles crack around the steering wheel. Gareth's expression is the epitome of 'oh shit' when he meets Eddie's gaze in the rear-view mirror.

"Yes, it is," Gareth says.

"It's not," Max says.

"It is!"

"It's not! The calendar was for 2021, and in November '21 you were a freshman and had already moved into the dorms! If your mom kept it in her kitchen, you wouldn't have seen it!"

She scowls at Gareth, mouth pinched and eyes flashing, daring him to contradict her.

Gareth swallows thickly. "It… wasn't for 2021."

"Yes, it was."

"How do you know?"

She puts her hands in her lap and lifts her chin, almost primly. Eddie gasps as the penny drops.

Gareth screams, "WHAT!"

"You have it?" Eddie cries. "Why do you have it?"

She scoffs. "You know why – you've seen his pecs."

"I don't- Okay, how're you so sure it's me?"

"Because you spent all of dinner looking like you wanted to crawl inside his mouth and live there." Her nose wrinkles. "At least I hope it was his mouth you want to crawl into-"

She's cut off by Gareth shouting "I can't hear you! Lalalalalalala-"

Eddie crumples in his seat. He's depleted of blood, air, life, everything. Behind, Gareth is grilling Max for information: are Steve and Robin together? Is Steve single? Is he queer?

Max replies: no, yes, and 'that's not for me to tell, moron'.

Gareth nods, satisfied. "That means he is. If he was straight, you'd say so." He slaps Eddie's arm. "You got a shot, man!"

"You… don't know that…" Eddie wheezes.

Max tuts, shaking her head. "You actually want to hit on my chauffeur."

"He prefers the term 'seduce'," Gareth says.

Eddie smacks his face into the steering wheel at the next red light.

------------------------------

Tag list: @rougenancy, @raisedbylibrarians, @yourebuckingkiddingme, @swimmingbirdrunningrock, @emma77645, @goodolefashionedloverboi, @eddielives1986, @stevesbipanic, @the-redthread, @fandemonium-takes-its-toll, @henderdads, @gay-little-bitch, @lordofthepointygerbils, @lenore1232, @imzadidragonfly, @zerokrox-blog, @eddiemunsonswife, @cherrycolas-things, @ediewentmissing, @princess-eddie, @atombombbibunny, @ajamlessbaby, @dogswithforks, @grimmfitzz, @cutiecusp, @cuips-not-cute, @manicallydepressedrobot, @messrs-weasley, @madaboutmunson, @mightbeasleep, @suikatto, @brassreign, @snapshotmaestro, @bea-sayan, @courtjestermunson, @csinnamon-fox, @steveisabicon, @spectrum-spectre, @spinmewriteround, @just-super-fucking-gay, @escapingthereality, @oneweirdcryptid, @deehellcat, @misticageri, @lovelyscot, @olivethenerd16, @linkydinky06, @rynnytintin, @anything-thats-rock-and-roll,

I won't be adding more to the tag list because there are already so many of you. Instead, I'll be tagging the four remaining parts (it'll definitely be seven in total, btw) as #steddie fic: november paramedic. Hopefully, they'll show up in the tags and you'll see them that way.

Thank you for reading 🖤

Part 4

[chodzacaparodia]

When the truck hit Kisaki I burst out laughing and you can't blame me

It was just like the bus scene from "Mean Girls"