Lainey
I didn't realize I had been talking to Joe for so long until I went to get two more beers for us, and saw that the beer was gone.
At which point I glanced at the clock on the wall, and noticed the hour hand pointing to the two, and the minute hand to the eleven. Almost three in the morning?
I let out an unavoidable yawn as I sat back down on the couch. "It's almost three o'clock," I told him tiredly. "And you're out of beer."
"That's unfortunate," he said. I looked around, then. Steven was dosing in a chair, and it seemed that all except Tom and his wife had gone home.
"Did everyone else go home?" I asked with another yawn.
Joe looked around then, too. He frowned. "Yeah, I guess so," he replied slowly.
"Huh."
Joe shrugged, getting up. "You wanna sleep here?" he asked, meaning the couch I was currently sitting on.
"Whatever," I replied with a shrug.
Joe disappeared into another room, appearing moments later with a blanket, which he handed to me. "Good?" he asked. I nodded, beginning to unfold the blanket. I was suddenly very tired. "G'night," he said, heading for the stairs.
" 'Night," I replied, already half asleep.
--
I woke up late the following morning. Steven wasn't in the chair, and for a moment I was confused as to where I was.
I made my way upstairs with the blanket still around my shoulders. I found Steven in the kitchen, looking hungover. Joe's girlfriend/wife was making some eggs. She and Steven were talking, but stopped abruptly when I came up the stairs. Joe must not be up yet.
" 'Mornin', babes," Steven said with a huge yawn, slinging an arm around my waist and pulling me closer, then planing a light kiss on my nose.
Just as Annie was putting the scrambled eggs onto three different plates, the door to the house flew open and a little boy that looked oddly familiar burst in. Both Steven's and Annie's faces lit up at the sight of him.
Joe followed closely behind the boy, and I suddenly realized why the kid looked so familiar. He looked like Joe.
But then the kid handed his little Star Wars bag to Joe and waltzed over to Annie, who met him halfway, and then the kid looked like Annie.
"Wassup?" Annie said smoothly, bending down to high-five the kid (who is probably her son) and then pulled him into a hug.
I wish my mom was that cool when I was little...
They gave each other a little kiss, then she fixed his wild curls and went back to the eggs, asking, "How was your adventure?"
"Aweso– Stevie!" The little boy noticed Steven sitting with me leaned up against him.
I took a small step back as the two high-fived. "Anthony!" Steven exclaimed, putting the kid on his knee. "What's up, little dude?"
Joe tossed the Star Wars bag into the couch, then approached Annie with a grin. "Why don't I get that kind of hello?" he asked with a little pout. But he was unable to hide his grin.
Annie frowned momentarily, then thought better of it and reached out her arms. "Wassup?" she said, just as she had said to Anthony. Then she reached out a hand for Joe to slap.
He chuckled and instead pulled her close to him. I averted my eyes back to Steven while they kissed.
"Ew! gross!" Steven said, putting a hand over both his and Anthony's eyes. "Don't look! You'll catch the cooties!"
Anthony giggled at that, but then he abruptly stopped. He seemed to have finally noticed me, and his eyes grew really wide; he almost looked frightened.
You know how when little kids whisper, they don't really make it a whisper? Well, Anthony leaned in to Steven and 'whispered', "Who's that?"
Steven stifles a chuckle. "That's Lainey, my girlfriend," he 'whispered' back.
"She's really pretty," Anthony continued.
"I know," was Steven's response. Steven stole a glance to me. I was grinning, and I also recognized the hotness of my cheeks as a blush. He pulled me close again.
Then Anthony spotted the eggs. "Ooh, Mom," he said, "can I have some?"
"Me too?" Joe added.
"You'll have to buy more afterwards," Annie said with a smirk.
"With another album, eggs won't even be considered a problem," Steven said proudly.
"You're making more songs?" Anthony asked.
Steven nodded.
"Ooh, can I come on tour with you guys?" the kid asked. "Please, please, please?"
"No," Annie and Joe said at exactly the same time. I laughed at that.
--
Steven and Joe did eventually get around to coming up with some lyrics and riffs and that. But after only a few lines, they were brainless (also still tired from last night) and Steven just wanted to go home. I didn't want to go home, but I obliged anyways, because I didn't really feel like staying in Joe Perry's house without Steven.
So I went home.
//\\
Joe
Annie and Anthony had begun their Atari brawl after Steven and Lainey left, leaving me to clean up from breakfast.
I didn't want to, per se, but I am a dad and I am a husband, so...
It's quite hard to imagine life without Annie or Anthony. Like what things would be like if I never proposed, never acted on my feelings. Who knows? Maybe Steven'd be in my place with Annie and I'd be in his, with Lainey?
One can only ponder.
I didn't particularly want Steven and Lainey to leave. Usually when Steven comes over–which hasn't been often, seeing as we hadn't spoken to one another in around four years–I can't wait for him to leave. Not that I don't enjoy the company. It's just that Anthony gets all crazy 'cause it's Uncle Steven! and that makes everything loud, and then Annie and Steven are trying to catch up on life because... well, actually, even when I wasn't talking to him, Annie was still visiting him.
So I simply chose to talk to Lainey, who looked a bit lost.
How was I supposed to know I'd end up talking to her for several hours? How was I supposed to know that I'd end up liking her and finding her funny and beautiful?
//\\
Annie
Each piece of food the snake gobbled up were my emotions. The snake was me. I was hiding my emotions. Again. Like always. What did I do when he blew six thousand dollars on heroin two years ago? Nothing. I hid my emotions. What am I gonna do when I'm jealous of Lainey? Nothing. Hide my emotions.
It's a stupid thing to get mad at anyway. He married me so I'm obviously special. But did he ever talk to anyone the way he talked to Lainey? And did she just happen to know where we keep blankets? Someone obviously had to get her a blanket. Someone obviously being Joe. And I'm obviously pissed.
"Ha! I win again!"
I set down the joystick, rubbing my burning eyes. "Alright," I said. "That's enough brain melting for today."
"Aww c'mon!" Antony whined. "One more game, please?"
"Nope. Tomorrow we continue the saga."
"You're just mad 'cause you lost," Joe sang. Anthony giggled.
"Whaaaat?" I gasp dramatically. "Mad 'cause I lost? Who says I lost?"
Joe sits down next to me. "Tell her, man," he says.
"Numbers don't lie, babe," Anthony said adorably in a little kid voice trying to sound like Joe. He earned a smile from me and a laugh from Joe.
"Don't be mad 'cause you lost," Joe said with a pout, poking me in the ribs. "There's always next time." He pokes me again. And then I'm tackled onto my back on the couch, straddled and pinned by Joe. "Get her!" he says to Anthony, who instantly dives in and tickles me.
When I eventually got them off of me, Anthony went to turn off the Atari and Joe helped me up, kissing me softly. "Love you," he said, grinning.
"Love you too," I replied, never more sure of those three words.
--
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A/N: Again, vote and comment because Steven's birthday. Wait... I already used that. So... Vote and comment bc Annie and Joe c: