Chapter Text
Steve was in his office, working on his end-of-month statements when his best friend barged in. It was a shoebox office, cramped with pictures, shelves, and a small desk crammed in the corner. When Robin burst through already speaking a mile a minute, Steve threw his papers as he jolted.
“Steve! That shop across from us is having their grand opening tomorrow—Jesus, dude, careful with your reports.”
Steve sighed, jaw clenching as he spoke through his teeth. “You scared me, Robin.”
She giggled, waving her hand as she dismissed whatever his concerns would be. “You should be used to me by now. Anyways, did you hear what I said?”
He hummed, still not looking at her as he sorted his messy, and now disorganized, pile. “Something about the shop across the street. You know nothing ever lasts there, Robs. We haven’t had a stable neighbor, like, ever. In 6 years.”
“Steve. Stevie. Steve-o. Steven. You don’t get it! It’s new! It’s a tattoo shop! The hipster regulars are gonna go feral, man. And when people go get tattoos, or piercings, they need something to eat. Boom. Here we are.” She finished her little ramble, gave a bow, and Steve rolled his eyes as she planted her hands on her hips. If he mentioned that was his pose, she’d never live it down.
Her enthusiasm was pretty contagious, though.
“Alright, alright. Should we like… meet the owners? Invite them over for coffee?” Steve asked, finally abandoning the work he knew she wouldn’t let him return to until her train of thought was finished. He knew how she was, and he wouldn’t trade her for anything.
“That’s what I was gonna ask you, dingus. You’re the owner.” Her eyes rolled, gesturing broadly to the general direction of the opposite street that was in no way in view. “They’re gonna be our neighbors, for however long, and I think we should make a good impression!”
He stood, walking to the counter and letting his curiosity get the better of him. He hadn’t been to the counter at all that day, which was unlike him. They’d be hitting lunch hours soon, and he figured he could go back to the boring stuff after closing. He liked helping the customers, making the coffee.
He laughed, following Robin to the front counter. There were a few of his regulars there, and he got a wave or two as Robin put her apron back on. “Right, right. You’re just hoping to pick up some tattooed hotties, Robs.”
“And you’re not?!” she squawked, ignoring the looks of customers that don’t know how she is quite yet. All the regulars just had little smiles, or stayed glued to their books/laptops/phones.
“Volume, Robin. You’re drowning out Hozier.” Steve grinned, slipping his apron on. It was covered with various pins, not unlike Robin’s own. It was usually just the two of them, with her being his shop manager. One of his employees, one of the local college kids from a gaggle of them he’d somehow ended up basically adopting, was going to be coming in around 12:00pm. He glanced over at the little cat clock he’d been given by one of said kids, noting it was coming around to 10:45am. Steve was always at the shop, considering he lived upstairs.
“Ah yes, the only man I’ll ever let serenade me. It would be a crime to drown out his delicious tones. Shut up, Steve, this is important.” She popped him with a rag, walking over to load up some fresh muffins into the display case. “I’m being serious, you’re always here. What better way to meet new people, and possibly new interesting people, than having them right across the street from you?”
He knew Robin was worried about him. Ever since his long-term relationship had ended with his college sweetheart, losing her to another journalism major named Jonathan, he had kind of been striking out. It’s been several years, but he hadn’t had a meaningful relationship since then. An old friend of his from high school had hit him up, Tommy, and they dated off-and-on for about a year, but it was never serious. Tommy wasn’t out to his family, and used Steve as some kind of weird shield for assumptions, since most people remembered Steve as some ladies’ man in their hometown. He was never in love with Tommy, it was just fun.
But Steve had gotten his business degree, and his father had given him his inheritance. His dad said that he could do with it what he willed, but if the family didn’t approve? He’d never hear from them again.
That was 6 years ago. He’d opened Right Side Up, a quaint little coffee shop with a tiny brunch menu, and never looked back. He moved into the studio upstairs and hired his favorite business classmate as his manager and partner. It’d been the best thing he could’ve done for himself.
He was an out bisexual man, his best friend was a lesbian, and they opened up for every Pride weekend, past normal hours. Gave them a home away from home.
This was the most home he had ever had. And he loved it.
“I know, I know. I see what you’re getting at. I dunno, I think I’ve lost my touch.” Steve sighed, wiping down the espresso machine as they waited on the inevitable 11:00am rush. Robin scoffed.
“Half our regulars come here to stare at you, Steve, you’re just oblivious. And… weirdly picky.” He balked, face going pink.
“They! Do not!” He sputtered, “And even if they did, it’s always the little old ladies and the creeps. The ones that are worth a damn aren’t even on the market, or don’t like men.” He hip-checked her, regaining some of his pride at the little “Ah!” she said as she almost tripped over her own feet.
“Watch the muffins!” She hissed, putting some blueberry streusel muffins on the top shelf. Best sellers.
“You didn’t argue the picky part, mister.” She muttered, closing the case and sliding the pan on the bottom racks.
“Yeah, yeah. Whatever, Buckley.” He saw Robin’s eyes move to the door and her smile grew. He spun around, expecting some customers.
Instead, he saw come commotion coming from across the street. They were downtown, so the buildings were close enough that he could see pretty clearly. There were lights being turned on, and someone was hanging plants in the windows. That was… interesting. He liked plants.
The huge pothos that had wrapped around the entirety of the lobby of his shop, along with the several snake plants, elephant ears, and various potted plants scattered in the windows and across the walls made that abundantly clear.
“See! They seem cool.” She bumped his arm with hers, and Steve was squinting to get a better look at the people inside.
There were two figures, right now. He’d missed the proprietors entirely until this point, honestly. There were back entrances to all of the businesses on the street, so he assumed that was it. They hadn’t been out front much, or had the curtains drawn to cover construction.
“They’re hanging a plant, Robin.”
“Exactly! Already speaking your language.”
The two figures flitted around the space, putting up little decorations here and there to finish up before opening. One had long, curly hair that was pulled up in a ponytail. They were tall. The other… was petite and had what looked to be closer-cropped hair. That one looked more feminine, where the taller figure was very masculine. Not much to go off of, but they watched regardless.
“Do you think the short one is cute?” Robin whispered conspiratorially, propping her head in her hands as she propped her elbows on the countertop.
“We can’t see any details, you thirsty bitch.” He snorted, and he probably deserved the elbow to the ribs.
“Oof—”
“I meant theoretically! Probably has like, tons of tattoos. Or piercings, or both. Oh god what if they have both? I hope we get to meet them—”
He was listening, he really was, but he has taken a small interest in the curly-headed stranger. They turned, coming directly to the window to hang a little stained-glass piece of art. It looked… welcoming, over there. It was nice. The sign had been hung maybe two days ago, stated in a twirling font that he was looking at “Corroded Roots, Tattoos and Body Piercings.”
He couldn’t see clearly, but the person seemed pretty damned attractive. Lean body, wild hair pulled back to show off a pale throat that almost seemed to glow. They were wearing all black, and it was hard to tell if he was wearing long sleeves from this distance, or if the coverings on his arms were all tattoos. Steve’s mouth went dry.
“If I’m going to have to listen to you two swoon over your new neighbors, I’ll have to find somewhere else to study.” He heard someone say, leaning against the counter to Steve’s left. Dustin.
“Oh hush, Dusty, you’d miss us too much.” Robin scoffed, waving her hand dismissively, like that was her favorite gesture today. It very well may be.
“Right, I’ll remember that next time you ask for me to run you a tab during finals week. Or give you the unfinished pastries to take to your roommates—”
“No! Fine! You win!” Dustin laughed, raising his hands in mock-surrender. “I just want a refill. I have about three more pages to this paper, and I need the fuel.”
“You’re gonna drop dead one of these days, kid.” Steve laughed, heading to the espresso machine to fulfill his order anyways. He didn’t have to ask, Dustin always got the same thing. He was a really sweet kid, and was probably the one he’d gotten the closest to out of the pack of college kids he found himself surrounded by most days.
He wouldn’t trade them for anything.
He pumped the syrup into the cup, black and white mocha over ice with an extra shot, oat milk. The kid had allergies to watch out for.
As the espresso machine hummed, he heard Robin roping Dustin into the gossip. “I heard that the owner is someone we went to school with,” Robin started, “but older than me and Steve. I don’t know if we’d even know him.”
“Like high school, or college?” Dustin asked, brows furrowed. That would be interesting enough. They went to high school in a little town called Hawkins, before they escaped off to Indianapolis. College was more likely.
“High school! I never even met Steve, so I doubt I’d know him. But what a small world, right?” Robin hummed, ringing Dustin up for his, probably third or fourth, cup of coffee.
“Have you eaten, Dustin?” Steve asked, butting in. He passed the cup over the counter but kept his hand on it. “You should, with all the caffeine you’re drinking. I know how you get when projects are due.”
He got a frustrated sigh in response. “I haven’t thought about it, I didn’t have time.” Steve grabbed a sandwich from the case, Dustin’s favorite croissant, and popped it into the toaster oven.
“Ugh, fine, mom.” The kid rolled his eyes, and he watched as Robin keyed in the sandwich. All the kids in the group got to take advantage of Will’s employee discount, because Steve was a sucker and Robin is, too. The cup had been released as soon as Steve had gotten his answer, and the toaster dinged as Dustin’s wallet was shoved back into his pocket.
“Eat this first, three pages can wait. You’ve already been here since 6:00am, what’s a couple more hours?” The sandwich was passed over, and Dustin rolled his eyes as he turned to go back to his table. Steve didn’t miss the smile he was trying to hide, though.
He loved these kids.
Well… not kids, really. The youngest was 19, which was Will. And Will was very mature for his age. They were all technically adults, but Steve thought of them as his little siblings most days. Other days, he felt like a single mom who worked two jobs.
He didn’t get much time to think after that, his rush hitting only a couple of minutes after Dustin had reclaimed his seat. Time passed in a blur, he and Robin dancing around each other with practiced ease. He skillfully prepped drink after drink, calling out name after name as the crowd grew and shrank, over and over.
He was happy. His business was thriving, his bills were paid, and he was surrounded by people he loved. But he had to admit… Robin was right. He wanted someone to be with, really be with. Nancy had been his first and last love. They started dating his senior year of high school all the way to his senior year of college, where she met another junior journalism major that stole her heart.
It didn’t help that both of them were magnificent people. He wished, sometimes, that he could be mad about it. But he wasn’t. Jonathan was the sweetest guy, quiet and head over heels for Nancy. He was Will’s older brother and had actually asked Steve to give the kid an interview a year ago. They had become friends, even though their association started off very very poorly, and he was glad to have the couple in his life. They had gotten married a year ago, and Steve was front and center at the wedding.
It would ease the sting if he’d found someone, too. It had been years, now. He wondered if it was just him, or maybe he hadn’t found the right person yet? When the amount of dates he’s had strike out that many times, you’d think at that point it wasn’t the dates’ fault.
Will came in for his shift, smiling at Robin and sticking his tongue out at Steve before throwing his apron on to take over the drink station. Steve finished his orders and patted his shoulder before heading back over to the register.
It was slowing down, just a little, and Robin flitted over to the tables as soon as Steve could man the register. She picked up various dishes, threw away trash, and wiped everything down so that they would have room for more customers. It wasn’t a tiny shop, but it definitely wasn’t huge, so the tables filled up pretty quickly.
She had just finished tables when she heard Steve take an order for waffles, and gave a thumbs-up as she went into the tiny attached kitchen.
Will had gotten better at calling out names, his surprisingly deep voice ringing out through the muttering crowd.
“Angela!”
He had been so quiet before. So resigned. But Jonathan had been right, this job was perfect for him. He was an art major at the University, and Steve let him display his paintings to be sold or included in his portfolio on the walls. The customers loved it. It was raw, emotional, colorful, everything you could want in an original painting.
It helped that both Steve and Robin were queer. They wore their pride pins on their aprons, with accompanying pronouns, and hosted a Drag Brunch on the third weekend of every month. Will had been floored, and was a blushing mess any time he spoke to Steve for the first few months. He’d opened up, now. The regulars were recognizing him, he recognized them, and he always lit up like a Christmas tree when someone asked for a puppaccino.
“Hi Emily, how are you doing?” He heard Will ask, smile in his voice as he handed the drink over to one of his favorite regulars. She always had a little Italian Greyhound with her, bundled up in her lap as she typed away on her laptop. “Hi Gidget! I missed you, little girl. Your mom needs to remember we have a date, every Tuesday.” Emily laughed, and they exchanged “Have a good day’s” as she left. He became quite the little charmer.
He didn’t realize he had been watching the exchange longer than he should have, not noticing that even though his line was gone, a new customer had walked over to the counter.
He heard a throat clear, and his small smile dropped as he saw who the sound was attached to.
In front of him, he assumed, was the person from across the street. Curly hair still wild in the messy ponytail, and god the arms, what the fuck. His shirt was rolled up into a makeshift tank top, and he was wearing ripped jeans. The shirt was a band he was unfamiliar with, Eluviete? But that didn’t matter, his arms were covered in tattoos, and his face was so handsome, and his, oh fuck his eyes. They were gorgeous, deep, dark doe eyes. His face was split into a grin, and he had one eyebrow cocked.
Oh fuck, he hadn’t said anything.
“Hi! Sorry, long day. What—uh, what can I get for you?” He heard a huff of a laugh come from Will’s direction, and he willed his aura to exude daggers at the kid.
“Hi.” The man said, smile bleeding into his voice. “I just need a coffee, black please.”
There was a glint of jewelry in his mouth because his fucking tongue was pierced, and Steve didn’t know what he did to deserve this.
“Yeah! Sure, okay. Coffee. You, uh, you work at the new place across the way, right? I saw you earlier this morning.” And what the hell was that? Might as well tell him you were staring, spying, being fucking nosey. Steve. What.
It somehow made the smile on the man’s face grow. He hummed. The sound gave Steve goosebumps. “Yep, I do. I own it.”
Oh wow. Okay. So they would have things to talk about. Wow.
Getting a bit ahead of yourself there, Steve. Jesus.
“I saw you, too. You’re here all the time.” The man added, placing his hands on the counter and leaning on one. Steve didn’t know what to say.
“Uh, yeah. I live here. Uh! Not in a weird way. I own the place, and I live here. Like, upstairs. In the apartment.” He looked down at the cup he needed to grab, almost forgetting that the man had ordered.
“Steve, right?” His stomach did somersaults, and he looked back up. How did he? Oh, he was looking at Steve’s apron.
He cursed the fact that Will’s roommate, Mike, had written “Mama” in tiny letters above the “Steve” on his nametag. Fucking kids.
“Yeah, I’m Steve.” Thanks, Captain Obvious. “And you?” He was smirking, now. “For… the cup?”
The man’s smirk dropped just a little bit, like he had forgotten he’d ordered, too. That was interesting. “Eddie. Uh, my name’s Eddie.” He scratched the back of his head, exposing more tattoos along his arms. Steve resisted drooling.
“Eddie.” Steve muttered, and passed the cup down to Will for him to pour the coffee. He avoided the man’s eyes. “That’s gonna be 2.75 for the black coffee, unless you needed something else?”
When he didn’t get an immediate response, he looked back up. Eddie had that infuriating smile, but his lip was caught between his teeth. Like… there was some kind of inside joke, or that Steve had something on his face? Or like he wanted to say something?
“Nah, Steve. That’ll be it.” Eddie pulled out a card, ready to pay on the reader. He had to admit, this man was so hot. And he really, really liked it when he said Steve’s name. He felt like a teenager. For someone approaching 29, that was pretty embarrassing.
Robin took this opportunity to sidle up to Steve, taking in the man in front of them. She was sizing him up, a challenge in her eyes.
“Hey there, stranger. I overheard you own the new shop?” She asked, arms crossed in front of her. Eddie looked surprised, almost embarrassed, but the surprise changed to something else after he did a quick once over, and landed on Robin’s nametag.
“Yeah, I do!” That easy grin was back, and he pocketed his wallet. “Looking to get work done?”
Robin smiled, seeming to approve of the response. “Maybe so, but Steve here is a huge weenie and won’t get anything with me.” She grinned over to Steve, who was in pure shock and awe at the quick alliance that just took place. What even.
“Hey!” he said, indignant. “I’m not a weenie, Robin, I just haven’t thought of anything I want.”
Robin’s exaggerated “Uh-huh, okay, boss” was her usual ribbing, but this new, very hot man was right in front of them. His face felt unbelievably hot.
“Maybe we can find something in my shop you like, Steve.” Eddie said, smiling as he headed to the end of the bar to pick up his coffee. Will had called his name, but Steve hadn’t even heard.
He already liked something in that shop, that’s for sure.
“Oh sick, man! I love your D&D pin, do you play?” Eddie’s voice had changed, a slightly higher pitch and upbeat tone. He heard Will laugh, and they started talking about some nerd stuff that Steve had never gotten into.
He was deliberately ignoring Robin’s eyes burning a hole into the side of his head.
“Alright, we have to exchange notes sometime! I don’t have a group in Indy, maybe we can start a game!” Eddie said, waving at Will as he walked away. Will expressed his agreement, and Steve watched Eddie walk towards the exit. As soon as he opened the door, he turned, staring straight at Steve. “Nice to meet you all!” He waved, and he was gone.
Walking right across the street.
Fuck.
There were two sets of eyes boring into him now, and he sighed. “What?”
“What was that?” “Oh you’re so gay, oh my god—” “He was so cute, Steve!” Robin and Will talked, overlapping and grating on his frayed nerves. “Oh my god, stop, please, I’m gonna explode.” Steve muttered, planting his face on the counter.
The shop had emptied out some, Dustin having left during the last part of the rush and only a couple of regulars were camped out in corners.
“No, we gotta talk about this, Steven.” Robin planted her hand on Steve’s head, knowing he would sit up to swat her hand away from his hair. Will just laughed.
“You are immediately, horribly down bad for our neighbor.” Robin stated, staring him in the eyes. “It’s amazing. He was flirting with you so hard, your face is the same shade as our sign.” He assumed she meant the red “Right Side Up” on their main sign, and he rolled his eyes.
“He wasn’t flirting with me, Robin. He was being nice. We’re neighbors.” Steve attempted to walk back towards his office, but Robin boxed him in. “Denial isn’t a good look on you, Steve.”
“She’s right, Steve.” A soft voice called from behind him, and Steve turned his weary gaze to his star employee. “Et tu, William?”
Will rolled his eyes, flinging a rag over his shoulder and cocking a hip against the bar. “He completely changed his whole attitude when he came and talked to me, man. He thinks you’re hot.” Will finished, daring Steve to argue. “You are hot. And he’s obviously into you.”
“Ugh. You two are gonna kill me.”
“No, Steven, we’re gonna get you laid.”
Will laughed, “Gross, Rob.”
Their grand opening was tomorrow, Robin had said. Maybe he’d… bring them muffins? Coffee? That would be a good way to extend a hand of friendship.
He’d also get to ogle Eddie some more, and maybe he could tell Robin if the other figure was a cute one.
His face stayed warm, and if he glanced across the street every time he was in view of the windows, no one else had to know.