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"Of course I would win in a fight against an alligator, fuck that guy, duh." Ed is saying to Alma as Stede approaches, Louis' head resting in the crook of his neck, his sleepy eyes blinking slowly closed.
Ed looks around, eyes catching Stede's. He gives Alma a gentle nudge and they both stand up straight, looking far too innocent.
"Oh, hey Dad, what's up?" Alma says coolly, leaning back against the brass guardrail.
Stede zeros in on the nervous fiddling of their ball cap, Ed's thumb twirling/whistling/avoid eye contact pose, and the alligator resting on a rock below.
The hazel eyes narrow.
"No, Ed, you can't thrown the ball cap onto the alligator."
"Daaaaaaaaaad." Alma groans as Ed begins exclaiming, "You know I can do it, Stede! You know I can!"
"I don't care if you can, Ed-"
"Think of the picture, mate! Alligator with a backwards cap, how fucking cute!-"
"So cute, Dad! So cute!"
It would be pretty cute.
They both see him pause and the badgering increases tenfold, their voices raising in excitement.
Louis finally sits up in Stede's arms, pressing his hands to his ears as he glares at the overexcited pair.
"Sorry, Louis." Alma stage whispers, pulling back slightly from where they were tugging at Stede's sleeve.
"Yeah, sorry, buddy."
Louis flops his head back against Stede, who brings a hand up to cover the ear not pressed against his body.
"Race you to the car!" Alma whispers to Ed before sprinting off at full speed.
"Ah, fuck-"Ed takes off after them, knocking into a Karen taking selfies by a tropical plant.
Stede snorts lightly at their antics then says softly, "Do you want your ears?"
He feels a gentle head shake against his shoulder and they make for the exit in the choatic wake left by the other half of their party.
“Close your eyes, sweetheart, it’s gonna be bright.”
Stede feels Louis scrunch his eyes shut and burrow deeper into Stede. Stede moves his palm to cover the boys eyes as well as his ears as best he can.
Ed and Alma have abandoned their race and decided to team up, Alma on Ed's shoulders and belting, "I AM THE GREATEST MAN THAT EVER LIVED!" to the parking lot at large, with Ed giving encouraging, "Yeah! Tell'em." every now and then.
The cotton candy may have been a bad idea.
Stede settles Louis into his seat as Ed lifts Alma off his shoulders. Louis cups his hands, clapping them gently against his ears. Stede digs his little noise cancelling headphones from the bag on his shoulder and settles them gently over the boys ears. Stede gives him a thumbs up, which Louis returns before closing his eyes, seeming to fall instantly to sleep.
Ed and Alma clamber in. Ed turns on a pop station as Stede smoothly pulls out of the parking lot. The rambuncious pair dance in their seat for most of the ride home, their energy slowly dwindling the closer they get. By the time Stede pulls into the driveway, Ed is yawning and Alma is looking out their window silently, their eyes drooping lower and lower.
"I'll grab Louis." Ed yawns again, stretching his arms high over his head as he stands from the car.
"Can we watch a show?" Alma asks, also yawning.
"Of course, buddy. I'll order us dinner once I put away our things." Stede tells them, popping the trunk.
"Come on, kiddo, what do you feel like watching?" Ed beckons.
Stede watches Ed carry Louis on his hip with one arm, Alma, holding tightly on to the other. HIs heart flutters as he bends to grab Their bags and cooler.
He can hear the sound of a baking competition show starting in the den and his heart flutters some more as he puts dirty dishes in the washer and food back in the fridge.
Home again.
He wanders into the den a while later to find everyone asleep on the couch, Louis curled up on Ed's lap where he'd been carrying him, Alma still grasping his left arm.
They never let go.
Careful not to disturb anyone too much, Stede gently lifts Ed's foot to rest it on a stool, draping the ice pack he's brought with him over the leather wrapped knee. He then grabs a large blanket from the chair and throws it over the lot of them.
"There, that's better." he says to himself with a smile at his family.
Stede settles in next to Alma, an arm going over the back of the couch to settle into Ed's hair as he googles "best foods to eat after having a lot of sugar."