Chapter Text
Steve's 40th birthday looms over him like a dark cloud. His baby girl is turning 16 soon, he’s divorced, and his hair has been graying for longer than he cares to admit. This is not the life he’d planned for himself when he got married at 20. He’d planned on growing old with Tommy and raising their grandchildren together. Steve doesn’t like to admit how long he privately wallowed in the death of his marriage. His platonic soulmate and business partner, Robin, is the only one who truly knows how hard Steve has taken everything. She has made him promise to start living life a little selfishly. As a chronic people pleaser he finds himself constantly picking up Tommy’s slack. Steve figured Tommy would want Max around to play house with his little girlfriend, Carol. However, the age gap between Max and Carol being closer than the age gap between Tommy and Carol makes playing house a lot less fun, and Max has to pay the cost.
In true Tommy fashion, when he screws up he likes to make up for it by buying extravagant gifts and slipping out the door while everyone’s oohing and ahhing over said gift. When Tommy forgot to pick up Max from a field trip a few months ago, they found out he was off in Aruba marrying Carol. Tommy’s surprise wedding didn’t only affect Max (it crushed her, to be completely honest), but Steve too. The ink was barely dry on their divorce papers. He does have to remind himself, it’s not like a silly thing like marriage vows stopped Tommy from sleeping with Carol in the first place. Of course, in Tommy’s demented little mind, he had to make it up to Max big. When Max’s favorite band, Corroded Coffin, was announced as the headliner for Coachella, he called in a few favors and got tickets for her and her childhood best friends affectionately known as The Party. And if that wasn’t enough Tommy also included meet and greet and watch area passes.
Once Steve told Robin about the concert, she demanded that he join her in Malibu while Max was gone. Her only request was that they get day-drunk by the beach and enjoy the salty sunshine. So, for the first time in his adult life, Steve is taking his own vacation as Steve Harrington and not as Tommy’s omega or Max’s mom. As he begins to pull out of the driveway, Tommy’s car speeds in, blocking his way. Steve watches as his daughter Max and her friends Jane, Dustin, Lucas, Mike, and Will all file out of the car. Steve’s hackles are raised immediately when he realizes there weren’t enough seats in Tommy’s car for them to go safely. He was used to transporting these kids and had even made sure to trade in his BMW for “The Mom-Mobile” as they lovingly called it. The kids pull their backpacks out of Tommy’s trunk and head over to Steve’s, waiting.
He hops out of the car. “Woah, wait a minute, what’s going on?”
Max’s eyes lock on to Steve’s as she explains, voice very monotone. “Work emergency, dad can’t make it. I’m sorry, Mom.” Without a word, Steve unlocks his car and Mike motions for everyone to start climbing in. With a sigh, Max turns away from him with Dustin and Jane guiding her into the car and Will trailing behind. Mike and Lucas stand off to the side waiting for Steve, arms crossed with angry teen alpha pheromones stinking the air.
Tommy rushes out of the car, making a beeline straight for Steve. “Stevie, I’ve gotta fly out in an hour.”
“Are you fucking kidding me, Tommy Hagan?” Steve seethes, he keeps his voice low so Max can’t hear, but he is furious. “This was your birthday present. I’m leaving to pick up Robin, literally right now.”
“Oh, honey, come on, don’t be like that. It’s just Robin, you can reschedule that anytime.”
“Don’t call me honey, you patronizing asshole! I can’t believe you. You think I can reschedule my life? Why can’t Carol go?”
“She wants to go with me.”
“Of course, it’s work related. I’m sure she misses the rush of screwing around on office trips.” Steve leaned in, making sure his voice was steady. “I’m not saving your ass anymore, Tommy.”
A dark grin overtakes Tommy’s face as his smell sours. He leans in with his teeth showing and Steve can hear Mike begin to growl. “It’s real cute that you’ve got our daughter’s friends growling for you, Stevie. We both know you’re full of shit. You wouldn’t let Max miss out on anything. You keep telling yourself that you won’t help me out, but we both know that’s a lie.” He pulls away and walks over to Max’s side of the car with a bright smile. “I’m really sorry, kiddo, I’ll make it up to you and your mom. Have fun!” Tommy blows a kiss to Max, but not before winking at Steve.
Mike rolls his eyes as he watches Tommy drive away. “That guy is such a douchebag. I mean, we’re stuck with Steve, but he’s still better than Tommy.”
Steve can feel tears welling up, Mike’s a little asshole, but this might have be the nicest thing he’s ever said to him. It’s too much after dealing with Tommy. “Mom?” Steve turns to see Max standing outside of the car watching. “We don’t have to-”
“Don’t even finish that sentence.” Steve heads towards the house via muscle memory because he can’t see through his tears. “I’ve gotta call Aunt Robin.”
“Mom, really-”
“Maxine! Get in the car. Please.” Steve hates to raise his voice, but he’s so fucking tired of crying over Tommy Hagan. He refuses to let Max see how much her father bothers him.
“Stevie babe, grab the hoochie daddy shorts and get the fuck in the car.”
“Robbie?” Steve tries to keep his voice steady.
“What did he do now?” A whine rips out of Steve without his permission. “ I’m going to fucking kill him.”
“I have to take the kids to Coachella. Max has been so excited.” Alone, he finally lets a few tears fall.
“He knows you’ll never punish her for having a shitty father. Dingus, it’s okay. The beach will always be there. Well, unless global warming dries it up quicker than anticipated. I read this article recently-”
Steve cuts her off with a laugh reminding her that they were on a time crunch to get to Coachella. He lets himself have a few more minutes to cry before drying his tears and spraying on some scent neutralizers. With the door locked and his shoes changed to sneakers, Steve is ready to go. A quick glance at his car finds Dustin grinning in the front seat. Jane and Lucas have sandwiched Max between them and look to be trying to serenade her. Lucas keeps making goofier and goofier expressions trying to cheer her up. If Steve could handpick any boyfriend for his daughter, he’d pick Lucas every single time.
Steve glances over at Dustin as he puts on his seatbelt and sunglasses. “Any reason why you didn’t sit back there with Mike and Will?” Steve askes, barely able to keep the annoyance out of his voice.
“Oh, come on, we’re buddies, we’re pals.”
“You can’t have the aux cord.”
“Never mind, you’re dead to me, Harrington.” Steve watches in horror and ducks swiftly as Dustin practically vaults over the center console. He can only watch as he tries to climb over Lucas, only to flop on top of Mike as he makes his way to the back of the SUV. “Sonovabitch, that hurt.”
“How? You used me as your landing pad!” Mike squawks.
“You’re very fucking bony, that’s how.”
“Language!” Steve glances back at Max through the rear view mirror and playfully rolls his eyes as Mike and Dustin begin to shove each other. “Children, if you’d like to see Coagulated Caftans today, I suggest you stop fighting.”
“That’s not their name and you know it!” Dustin screams so loud his voice cracks. Finally, something makes Max laugh as she snorts in response to Dustin’s outburst.
Steve slaps his hands together to get everyone’s attention. “Everybody on? Good, great, grand, wonderful. No yelling on the bus!” No one says anything, they all just stare at him. “Really? None of you? Billy Madison?”
“Is that like some old-person movie from before we were born?” Lucas cracks with a grin.
Steve turns around and lowers his sunglasses to look him in the eye. “You were my favorite, not anymore.” He turns back around to start the car and grumbles to himself, “Old-person movie? I’m still cool. I was King Steve for crying out loud. Buncha little assholes.”
Steve spends most of the 3 hour car ride torturing the kids with his favorite 80s playlist. If he’s forced to take them to see some rock band, the least they could do is listen to his music the entire car ride. But, as they take the exit to the festival campground, Steve realizes he has no way in and no where to stay. As if thinking about him summons him from the depths of hell, Steve’s phone goes off with a text from Tommy to check his email for their hotel reservation. Dustin, with no regard for road safety or general decency, throws his seatbelt off and launches himself over Lucas into the passenger seat. He begins aggressively holding the phone up to Steve’s face to get the face ID to work.
“Jesus fucking christ, Dustin, sit down. I’m driving here.”
“Which is exactly why you shouldn’t be looking at your emails.”
“You also shouldn’t be looking in my emails. What if there was something inappropriate in there?”
“Steve, if you are trying to sext someone via email, we’ve got bigger problems than me seeing it.” Dustin stops speaking abruptly and shows Jane the screen.
“What is it?” Max tried to peek, but Jane pushed the phone away. Jane turns to Will, twin telepathy in full swing. “You guys know I hate when you do that. What’s going on?” Will reaches behind him for Max’s bag, handing it to Jane, who passes it to Dustin. “Why are you guys going through my bag?”
Once parked, Dustin hands Steve an envelope with a sigh. Inside are their wristbands, including one with his name on it. He glances up at Dustin who looks back at Jane. Silently, Steve passes each wristband out. Max sighs as she watches Steve put on his own wristband. He carefully takes his phone from Dustin to read the email from Tommy.
“Stevie,
Thanks again for picking up my slack. Max has the wristbands in her bag and the hotel accommodations are below.
Love, Tommy”
Work emergency his ass. Steve reads over the reservation to see that it had been made months ago in Steve’s name. He knows he is stinking up the car with his anger, but he can’t help it. His piece of shit ex-husband has always planned on ditching Max. Steve can feel himself getting more and more worked up.
“Mom?” Forcing a smile, Steve leads the kids out of the car and into the festival. “Seriously, we can go home. It’s not worth it.”
Steve pulls her close to him and looks her straight in the eyes. “Absolutely not. We are here, we have a meet and greet with your favorite band, and we are going to have fun. Got me?” Max smiles softly and pulls Steve into a hug. He holds on tight and breathes in her puppy scent. It would be changing soon and honestly, it was rare to hug her these days.
Steve finds himself alone in the VIP lounge nursing a cocktail. Does it cost him an arm and leg? Yes, yes it does, but as he listens to various women squealing about the band Steve realizes he needs more than a water bottle to get him through the show. He checks his app on his phone and can see that all of the kids' locations are still being shared with him. Thankfully they are together and not too far from where Steve is. Steve is certainly out of his element here. He watches as everyone is dancing, singing, and having a good time. He can only imagine how many of them are high on something. He sighs to himself, could he be anymore ‘Hey you kids, get off my lawn’ right now? He checks his phone and laughs as he reads Robin’s message.
Steve sighs as he looks around the VIP lounge. Everyone seems to be having so much fun and all he can think about is how yet again, Tommy has ruined his plans. He has himself a little pity party until he realizes that everyone has started to skirt around him. He scents the air and finds that his scent neutralizers have worn off. It’s totally what he needs right now, depressed omega ripe and overwhelming. He looks around the lounge trying to find a bathroom. He sees an employee by the door and they point him towards basically nothing, but he eventually finds his way outside and in front of a bunch of trailers.
Quite a few of them are locked, but finally he finds one he can go in. He glances around and sees Mountain Dew, gummy bears, and Cheetos on the counter. Steve doesn’t remember any of them as sponsors for the event, but shrugs it off as he makes his way to the bathroom. He splashes water on his face and tries to towel off any lingering odors. He roots around in his bag until he finds his neutralizing spray, coating himself in a liberal amount and topping off his deodorant. He goes to open the bathroom door and is swinging his bag onto his back when he slams into someone’s hard chest. Steve yelps as the person in front of him grabs him by the hips to steady him. Wild curly brown hair, a little stud in his nose (that frankly should not be that attractive), and full pouty lips with a hoop that’s just begging to be tugged on, decorate his face. But what really does it are his big warm brown eyes full of mischief.
“Woah sorry, I didn't mean to scare you,” the man says with a grin on his face.
Steve pulls away and his eyes trail down the man in front of him. With dark hole-covered pants, a red flannel around the waist, and a leather jacket, this is the hottest man Steve has ever seen. Steve can feel his cheeks head up as he brushes past him. “Sorry about that. The bathroom is all yours.”
A smirk stretches across the man’s face giving his eyes a little twinkle. A warm vanilla scent wraps around Steve. It has a hint of spice that soothes Steve’s omega in a way he’s never experienced before. “Oh I know. Do you make it a habit to sneak into people’s trailers?”
Steve blinks at him in confusion. “Sneak? I was using the bathroom.”
“My bathroom.”
“Your bathroom? Where the hell else am I…” Steve glances out the window and notices the Port-a-Potties. “Oh shit.”
The man snorts. “Oh shit, indeed.”
Steve stammers out an apology and rushes out of the trailer before the man can get another word out. Once he makes it out of the trailer, he sees the kids looking for him. Max grabs his hand and drags him off towards a different stage. His jaw drops as he realizes that Robyn is on stage performing. Max records videos of them dancing and singing along to every song. He can feel the stress of the beginning of this trip leaving him as he watches his daughter’s face light up with a smile.
The kids demand a chance to freshen up before the meet and greet. They can’t meet their favorite band and take photos while they are sweaty messes. Steve starts to walk them towards the trailers unsure of where else to go, but Dustin grabs his arm dragging him into the VIP Lounge. On the complete opposite side from where Steve had been sitting are the bathrooms, public bathrooms. Eventually everyone makes their way into the bathroom to freshen up and they grab a bite at the food vendors. Finally, it’s time for the meet and greet. They make their way to the tent and Steve stands back as the kids all bounce their way through the line in excitement. The normally surly Mike is grinning and extra friendly with everyone; it must really just be Steve that he hates.
“Well, hello there, sweetheart.” Steve turns towards the voice and his jaw drops as Max hugs the man from the trailer. “Nice seeing you again.” He gestures to Max, “Are these your little siblings?”
Steve smiles, gesturing at Max, “Max is my daughter, actually.”
Max’s eyes dart back and forth between the two of them, “You know each other?”
Eddie leans over stage-whispering, “Turns out we like the exact same trailer bathroom.”
“And you are?” Steve asks. Max looks vaguely horrified and at this point he’s fully aware of whose bathroom he’d just been using, but why not play a little? It’s not like he’ll ever see him again. Honestly, his options are either play around or explode, and Steve just doesn’t have time for a meltdown right now.
“Fascinated.” Eddie grins. “You really had no idea?”
Steve rolls his eyes playfully. “Her father bought the tickets, I’m just the chauffeur.”
“Her father, not your husband?”
Steve raises an eyebrow. “Well, he was my husband, now he’s just her father.”
The blonde man beside Eddie makes his presence known. “Eddie, love, who’s your friend?”
“This is Max and Max’s mom. Ladies and gents, this is Henry, Jeff, Gareth, and Freak, but I think only one of you didn’t know that.” Eddie winks at Steve. The rest of Corroded Coffin has now caught wind of what’s happening and the front of the table and lean in, interested.
“Mom?” Henry’s eyes rake down Steve’s body in an almost dangerous way. “You certainly don’t look like my mother.”
Before Steve can make a comment another voice chimes in: “Mine either.” Eddie looks over at Jeff incredulously before reaching over and shoving his shoulder. “What? My mom’s black!” Steve can’t help but laugh at Jeff shoving Eddie back. “Why am I the one getting manhandled? Henry’s the one that said it first!”
“I expect deplorable things out of him, but you Jeffrey? Shame.”
“What the fuck is happening here?” Mike glares at Steve with his arms crossed. “Is Steve getting hit on? Gross.” There’s the Mike that Steve knows.
Dustin ducks underneath Steve’s arm between him and Max. “Hi Mr. Munson, can I call you Eddie?” He doesn’t even pause as he continues his introductions. “Eddie, this is Steve Harrington of SH Buckley, that’s an art gallery in Silver Lake. You should go there if you’re interested in art. He’s free Thursday, if you’re free, on Thursday.”
Steve’s eyes widened in shock. He’s honestly surprised Dustin isn’t shoving a business card in the man’s face. “It’s been lovely Eddie Munson, but I think we should meet and greet the rest of the band before these kids find another way to embarrass me.” Steve leads the kids down the table to meet the rest of the band and the whole time can feel eyes on him.
He glances up to see Eddie looking at him, before they can leave Eddie shouts, “Hey Steve? Enjoy the show.” Steve awkwardly raises his hand and waves a few fingers in Eddie’s direction. He doesn’t miss the way Henry glances over and raises his brow.
In the hour it takes the band to finish up their meet and greet and take the stage, the kids are completely restless. Mike and Dustin took the reins on shoving through the crowds to get as close to the stage as possible, now it’s just a waiting game.
Max throws her arms around Steve for one more hug. “Mom, you have no idea how much this means to me.”
“Seriously, Tommy’s such a lame ass he probably would have stayed in the lounge.” Mike rolls his eyes at the thought.
“Does this mean you think I’m cool?” Mike gives him a look. “Nevermind.”
The lights go completely out before they begin to pulse. A guitar starts to play and the lights kick on as the band jumps into their first song. The band tees and ripped jeans of an hour ago are now gone as the band seems to be covered in leather. Directly in front of them stands Eddie, completely shirtless. It’s hard to make out what they are from where they are standing, but his arm and chest seem to be covered. And if that wasn’t enough, the top of his chest is covered in leather straps as a harness is strapped to him. Long leather feathers drape over his shoulder as if he were a fallen angel hellbent on living in every dark fantasy Steve has ever had.
As the music begins to pick up Steve expects him to stand there and play, but he is gravely mistaken. Eddie plays his guitar like it’s an extension of his body, rocking and rolling his hips to the beat. He can feel his pulse begin to race as Eddie thrashes his body back and forth as the music gets louder and louder. He doesn’t have a mic to sing into but he sings along to every song anyway. Steve’s view is obstructed as Henry crosses the stage, he glances down and they lock eyes. The look Henry gives Steve can only be described as ominous and he doesn’t like it.
Henry stalks around Eddie before coming up behind him and wrapping his arm around his waist. Over and over again Henry sings, “You’ve got me in a chokehold.” as his hand slides up to wrap around Eddie’s throat. He presses his face next to Eddie’s and gestures towards Steve. Eddie glances down and does a double take as he realizes who’s standing at his feet. Henry tangles his hand in Eddie’s hair and pulls it back, exposing his neck. He stares directly into Steve’s eyes as he licks the column of Eddie’s neck right over his scent gland. The crowd begins screaming as Henry lets Eddie go and heads to the front of the stage to continue the song. Eddie throws his head back and laughs before blowing a kiss at Henry. Steve can’t explain the whine he’s fighting back at their antics on stage.
“Coachella!” Henry screams into the mic once the song ends. The crowd screams back to him making the entire band smile. “We are so happy to be here and cannot wait to blow your fucking minds! In case you’re new around here, I’m Henry and I sing lead.” The crowd screams as Henry runs across the stage to introduce each member of the band. He throws his arm over Jeff’s shoulder. “Jeff Anderson on guitar and vocals.” As he darts to the next band member Jeff begins to play a little solo, letting the crowd scream. “And this here is our bassist, and just like Madonna and Beyonce, he doesn’t believe in using a last name, everyone meet Freak.” Eddie yells as Freak plays his solo, cheering him on. “And this little cutie back here on drums is Gareth Emerson.” Gareth shoves Henry off of him and plays his solo. The crowd continues to roar as Henry runs towards Eddie. “And last but not least, everyone’s favorite little heartbreaker, Eddie fucking Munson.” Eddie winks at Steve before he plays a solo on his guitar. “And together we are Corroded Coffin!”
The crowd screams again as they start their next song. Steve can’t help but think this one seems a little more seductive. As if that’s even possible when the last one was called Chokehold, but maybe that’s telling more about his preferences than he thought. Eddie’s head hangs as he rocks his body to the beat. Together, he and Jeff start thrashing as they begin playing in synchronicity. The music changes rapidly to an ethereal sound as the lights lower and Henry begins to play on keyboard. The lights raise to a bright red and Eddie moves closer to the edge of the stage. They lock eyes and a wicked smile spreads across his face. Steve feels almost hypnotized as Eddie begins to play. He sways his hips as if he’s thrusting against his guitar all while holding Steve’s eye, singing directly to him.
“Oh and my love
Did I mistake you for a sign from God?
Or are you really here to cast me off?
Or maybe just to turn me on?
‘Cause these days
I would be lying if I told you that
I didn’t wish that I could be your man.
Or maybe make a good girl bad.”
Steve feels like every nerve ending is exposed as Eddie licks his lips and continues to sing. He knows he’s beet red and can only hope the scent neutralizers last the rest of the concert. Just in case, he clenches his legs together tight and wills himself to calm down. As the song ends Max screams loudly, causing Steve to snap back to reality. He’s an almost 40-year-old mother lusting after a guitarist in a band, what the hell is wrong with him?