Chapter Text
Summer had taken hold in Hawkins with the start of June only a week away. The weather was heating up, the sun was setting later, and kids were let loose from school to wreak havoc on the town. It was those kids who were sure to make your job hell as you were currently bemoaning to your best friend.
“They’re gonna come in packs. Hordes! It’s gonna be like ‘Night of the Living Dead,’ Robin!” You were laying on her bed with your head hanging off the end of it, your voice becoming more nasally the longer your head was upside down. Robin was sitting at her desk, thumbing through her latest thriller novel, her feet propped up on the wooden surface as she leaned back in her chair. The glossy black paperback cover seemed worn and creased.
“And you’re so worried about this… why? We’ve been working there for, like, a month now,” she answered without looking up. You rolled over and clambered up so that you were sitting cross-legged. You reached behind you to grab one of her red pillows, your fists punching it idly as you started grumbling.
“Because you’re taking some stupid vacation-”
“Family trip.”
“-to Idaho-”
“Iowa.”
“-and leaving me alone!”
“You’ll be working with Steve. You’ll be fine.”
You clutched the pillow to your chest before throwing it at her. It hit her lap, finally drawing her attention away from her book. She fixed you with a deadpan stare before reaching over to her stereo. Her fingers turned the volume dial up, effectively silencing you under the sounds of Depeche Mode. You huffed an irritated sigh and stood up. Robin didn’t look up as you marched over to her stereo and turned the music back down.
“I’m serious, Rob. It’s gonna suck.” She sighed deeply, dog-eared her page, and finally set the book down. Her bright blue eyes stared up into yours in earnest as she put her feet back onto the floor and turned her chair to face you. Feeling uncomfortably seen under her gaze, you leaned against her desk and folded your arms across your chest.
“What’s your issue with Steve?” she asked. You shrugged and rolled your eyes, a grimace coming over your features.
“He’s King Steve. What even is there to like?” Robin gestured wildly with her hands as she spoke.
“He’s changed since you two graduated. He’s funny and well-meaning and actually kinda cool,” she said. You stared at her in astonishment. If you didn’t know better, you’d assume she was into him, taken in by that patented Harrington charm.
“‘Since you two graduated?’ We graduated not even two weeks ago! He’s barely worked with us for that long,” you protested. Robin balled her hands into fists and leaned back again, a frustrated groan escaping her gritted teeth. She took a deep breath, leaned forwards, and braced her hands on your thigh.
“I’m going to ask you for a favor. As my best friend in the whole wide world.” You pursed your lips as you stared down at her. Neither of you spoke for a beat, the only sound between you two being the humming of the fan on the desk and the next track on the album starting up.
“I’m not letting you borrow my jean jacket again,” you deadpanned. That made her crack a smile and you could feel the tension between you two begin to melt away. You inhaled deeply before saying, “I’ll try to be nice to him.”
“I wasn’t even going to go that far. I just wanted you to not kill him,” Robin chuckled. You gripped her hand that was still on your thigh and pushed yourself up from the desk, bringing her with you. You tugged her into the middle of her room where there was a space between her dresser and the foot of her bed.
“Do I also need to keep up the ‘You Suck’ tally?” you asked as you walked back over to the stereo.
“Duh. That’s important data.” A peal of laughter escaped you as you turned up the volume so loud you couldn’t hear yourself think. Robin picked up one of her hairbrushes and mimicked singing into a microphone, the both of you beginning to jump around and dance to the music like you had done since your middle school days.
The afternoon sun was shining in through the open window and a breeze was blowing through, washing away any worries you had. It seemed impossible to think that this summer would be anything but great as you and Robin sang along to the music.
“It’s getting hotter, it’s a burning love and I just can’t seem to get enough…”
Ten days. Robin would be gone for ten days. You didn’t even have to work for three of those. It would be totally fine. Totally. Fine.
You kept repeating that in your head every time the bell on the counter dinged. You turned around, an ice cream scoop and a rag in either hand, with a tense grin on your face. That tense grin fell when you saw who it was. Four teenagers stood there, expectant smiles and open expressions.
“Harrington, your hooligans are here,” you called over your shoulder. Mike’s face fell at the little jab and he pointedly dinged the bell again. Robin had informed you that these kids would come by every time they wanted free entry into an R-rated movie. Apparently, Steve was their babysitter or something. It started out as hilarious but was quickly turning into an annoyance.
“Be right there!” Steve shouted from the back room.
“You know, we know the way. We can just-” Mike started as he moved towards the back door. You stopped him with a threatening point of your ice cream scoop.
“Shut it, Wheeler. I’m not letting you guys run around back there without supervision.” Max piped up, her red hair swaying as she leaned around Lucas. Out of the four, she was your second favorite, tied for the spot with her boyfriend.
“I’m not sure Steve counts as supervision.” You snorted derisively and nodded in agreement. You took a moment to look over them more carefully. They all seemed pretty mature for being thirteen. You weren’t sure they needed a babysitter.
“So he, like, babysits you guys?” you asked. They all started giggling and casting knowing looks at each other.
“Totally,” Max said, her words exaggerated through her laughter, “All the time. He’s practically our nanny.” Steve exited the back room at that moment, begrudgingly holding the door open for the teens to slip through. They filed through in a line and you followed.
“Alright, Max, that’s enough,” he grumbled, “Last thing I need for the girls to hear is that I’m a nanny.”
“I think they should hear it. I need to add more tallies,” you said with a gesture towards the ‘You Suck’ whiteboard that was sitting on the break table. Steve opened the door to the service corridors and leaned his hip against it while the teens headed out, Max and Will shouting their goodbyes and thanks to you.
“Don’t encourage them,” Steve said with a pointed finger at you. You rolled your eyes and grabbed up the whiteboard so he could see it, fishing a dry erase marker out of your pocket and uncapping it with your teeth. You hovered the tip of the marker over the left side of the board next to the five other tally marks. “You can’t draw one without me getting shot down.”
The marker squeaked as you drew a straight line, adding one more tally under the ‘You Suck’ section. What Robin doesn’t know makes this job funnier for you, you reasoned. Plus, he might as well get shot down next time; it was a preemptive tally. Before you could voice any of that, the bell on the counter dinged twice.
Steve pushed the door open, smiling sarcastically at you and offering you a friendly middle finger. You spit the marker cap at him. It clattered to the ground as he exited the back room with a loud, “Ahoy, ladies!”
You walked over to pick up the cap on the floor and smiled widely at the sounds of Steve striking out with yet another girl. Looks like you were right. You smugly recapped the marker, set the board back on the table, and busied yourself with getting some cleaning supplies and clean rags.
After a few minutes, Steve walked back in, his brown eyes defeated and his mouth in a tight line. You eyed him expectantly as he walked up to you. He grumbled as he snatched two clean rags out of your hand.
“Not a word.” You laughed instead.
You kept your promise to Robin. You tried to be nice to Steve. You didn’t always succeed.
It was your third day working with him and it was an absolute shitshow of a shift. Kids had been rowdy, business was nonstop, and you’d been yelled at by at least three unhappy parents. You were out of four flavors and down to the bottom of a fifth. The tip jar was pitifully empty too.
Closing time could not have come soon enough. When you finally ushered the last kids out of the shop and yanked down the gate to close off the entrance, you breathed a sigh of relief.
You headed to the back room to grab the broom and tell Steve to get started on counting the money, snatching up pieces of trash and sundae bowls left on tables. When you entered the slightly dimmer back room, you saw that he’d already grabbed the broom and was readying the mop bucket as well. He had taken off his white hat, his hair obscuring his face slightly as he bent down to attach the mop head to the handle.
“I was gonna do that,” you grumbled.
“Well, you can count the money,” he offered casually. You narrowed your eyes at him, sending daggers his way for a few moments. When you didn’t respond, he looked over at you with confusion as he straightened up. “What?”
“I didn’t want to count the money. That stupid calculator never works.” You set the bowls into the sink as harshly as you could without breaking them. There was a mountain of dishes to do, you noted when you glanced over the large sink. You marched over to the trash can and violently threw in the scraps that were still clutched in your hand. This shift really couldn’t get any worse.
“When was the last time you got laid?” Steve suddenly asked, his tone tinged with interest. You jerked upright and fixed another glare on him. Apparently this shift could get worse.
“Excuse me?” All he did in the face of your anger was shrug and brace his elbow on top of the mop handle. His expression was nonchalant as if he wasn’t asking you an extremely personal question.
“It just feels like you’ve got a lot of pent-up frustration and I’m thinking that if you-”
“Have sex? What, with you?” you sneered. Steve shrugged and nodded. Your blood boiled the longer you stared at him. The first thought that jumped to your mind wasn’t a vehement denial. It wasn’t even a hesitant maybe. It was the thought that Steve did look kind of good without that stupid uniform hat on.
You caught yourself as soon as the idea passed through your mind. You gritted your teeth, frustrated with yourself as well as him, and walked up to the break table. Among your jacket, bag, and Steve’s belongings, the whiteboard sat with two new tally marks from the past three days.
You pulled the marker out of your pocket and picked up the board, making sure it faced Steve as you harshly drew a tally under ‘You Suck.’ You slammed both items back down on the table and headed towards the door.
“I’ll count the money,” you growled, practically running away. Maybe if you just focused on closing up, you’d be able to escape both Steve and your mounting desire to take him up on his offer.
You ignored Steve for the next forty minutes as you counted the money, finished the dishes, and looked through the schedules on your boss’s desk. Robin was coming back at the end of next week which meant you got to go back to the opening shift. Away from Steve.
He annoyed you. And he was such an asshole. Suggesting you sleep with him to blow off steam? It was ridiculous. On top of that, he had the nerve to ask you while wearing that stupid sailor outfit with its stupid hat and stupid collar and stupid shorts that rode up his thick thighs and admittedly did good things for his ass…
Fuck it.
You huffed a sigh and turned back to the door, approaching footsteps audible on the other side. Steve walked through the doorway as he untied the apron you were both required to wear. He balled it up in his fist and jerked his chin towards you, watching as you straightened from where you were leaning against the desk.
“You ready to go?” His brown eyes grew wide with alarm when you started stalking towards him with a hurried pace. He held up his hands in a placating gesture, nearly certain you were going to hit him, and took a few steps back. “Whoa, whoa-”
You were quicker than he was. You grabbed his red uniform tie dangling at his chest, wrapped your hand in the fabric, and pulled him in for a heated kiss. It only took a fraction of a second for him to respond. His lips moved against yours and his hands gripped your waist, pulling you in closer to him.
“You’re taking me up on my offer?” he asked only slightly incredulously when you leaned back from him, still holding him in place with his tie.
“Don’t blow your load too fast. You gotta fuck me so hard I forget all about this shitty shift,” you snarked. Steve grinned at you excitedly, yanking you back against his body and pushing your hips into his. You could feel yourself getting wetter already.
“I can totally do that,” he promised before kissing you roughly once more. You two stumbled backwards, hands hurriedly roaming over each others bodies. When you reached the break table, Steve broke away from you and waited for you to hop onto it. Instead, you made steady eye contact with him and sank to your knees. His voice was shaky when he said, “Oh, fuck, you’re-”
“Getting my pent-up frustration out,” you remarked breathily. You hooked your fingers in the waistbands of his shorts and boxers and tugged them down just far enough for you to reach in. Your fingers wrapped around his half-hard cock, giving a slow pump, and you looked up at him with wide eyes.
“Um… Yeah?” Steve asked carefully as he braced a hand on the table behind you. You tugged his cock out, your eyes flicking between his face and the weeping tip of his head. He was huge. Way bigger than you were expecting. It was honestly a bit intimidating. Despite that, you gave a little shrug and smiled.
“I’ve never been one to shy away from a challenge.”
“What’s the chal- Oh, fuck!” You licked a stripe from his base up to his tip, the taste of him heady and rich on your tongue. You took him into your mouth entirely and began setting a steady pace. What you couldn’t reach with your mouth, you stroked with your hand.
Steve’s hand that wasn’t holding him upright fell to the back of your head. You expected him to take control then, tangle his fingers in your hair or push your head forward, but he didn’t. He dug his fingertips in slightly but the touch felt more comforting and grounding than it did controlling. Your eyelids fluttered shut as a pleasurable haze settled over your mind. Through that haze, you could hear him talking, moaning your name among other sweet nothings.
“Fuck, that’s it… So fucking good…” The praise spurred you on and you opened your eyes, pulling back so that only a strand of saliva connected you to his cock. You gave him a few quick strokes with a tighter grip. His hips jerked forwards and another groan left his mouth. You had to admit, he sounded nice when he moaned for you.
“Help me up,” you breathed, holding up your free hand. Steve immediately gripped your hand and hauled you so that you were standing. He still seemed a tad confused that you’d stopped.
“I thought…” he started. You brought his hands to your shorts and you pulled them down together. The break table was cold under your heated skin when you hopped up onto it, spreading your thighs tantalizingly. His gaze fell to your core, his cheeks becoming even more flushed when he saw how wet you were. He smiled eagerly almost like he’d forgotten that he was getting to fuck you.
“I still haven’t forgotten the awful day I had,” you teased. Steve nodded, his smile turning wry, and stepped between your legs. He moved his hand to your cunt and traced a finger slowly up your slit. It was your turn for your hips to jerk up at the sensation. He slowly drew a circle around your clit and you reached up to grasp his shoulder, a gasp escaping you.
“You’re so wet. Gonna be tight, too?” Steve murmured to you, tilting his head so he looked you in the eye. That was an attitude change; he must’ve gotten his ability to speak coherently back now that you were the one being pleasured. Unwilling to give him total control just yet, you gave him the best smirk you could manage with his finger still toying with your clit.
“Why don’t you find out?” He moved his hand back down to your entrance and slowly pushed his middle finger in. You clapped your hand over your mouth as you let out a cry.
“Mhm,” Steve said over your keen, “Knew you’d be tight.” It only took a few thrusts of his finger for him to add his ring finger. The wet noises echoed softly throughout the back room, only serving to tighten the knot in your gut. A few more minutes of Steve’s ministrations and you’d be done for. You wanted his dick inside you before that happened.
“The whole idea was for you to fuck me,” you breathed as you felt Steve’s index finger purposefully brush against the side of your entrance. Two of his long fingers were plenty for you; the idea of a third made your head spin.
“Gotta get you ready. I’m not gonna fit otherwise,” he replied on a chuckle. You meant to roll your eyes derisively but when his thumb pressed on your clit, they rolled back into your head. In practically the same moment, his index finger slid into you. Your back arched involuntarily and you pressed further against him.
“Steve!” you whined. He leaned forward to capture your lips in a kiss although you weren’t sure if it was motivated by desire or the need to keep your noises down. The last thing you needed was some security guard busting in here because they heard something. You accommodated to the stretch quickly and began rolling your hips in time with the pace of his fingers.
“Getting a little eager?” he teased when he separated from you. You reached up to fist his shirt in your hands and shot a half-hearted glare at him.
“Don’t talk to me about eager. Just fuck me already.” Steve raised his eyebrows at your attitude but he withdrew his fingers. Your hole clenched at the loss and even more so when he raised his glistening fingers to his lips. As he made a show of licking your slick off his fingers, he rolled his hips forwards, his hot length sliding along your folds.
“You got protection hiding in your bag?” he asked when his fingers were clean and you impatiently reached down to grab his hips.
“I’m on the pill. Come on,” you said, tugging at his hips again. Steve positioned himself with your entrance and locked eyes with you. He was making sure you wanted this. You nodded and inhaled deeply as he pushed forwards.
Along with the ecstasy of being filled, you felt the burn of Steve’s cock stretching you out. He went slowly on that first thrust. Even when you were sure he wanted to start up a fast pace, he kept inching forwards carefully, watching your face for any sign that you wanted to stop. You wanted anything but that.
You leaned your forehead against Steve’s as the burning stretch subsided, leaving you with the sensation of being completely full. God, he wasn’t joking when he said he needed to get you ready. You nodded slowly as best you could and he pulled his hips back only to press forward again. Whimpers echoed from both of you, mingling in the small space between your lips.
“Fuck, fuck, fuckfuckfuck!” you squeaked as Steve steadily increased his pace. Within moments, the back room was filled with the sound of skin hitting skin and wet squelching from how wet you were. Steve was hitting spots within you that you’d only dreamed of when you were by yourself. You closed your eyes tightly, spots dancing behind them as he thrust into you, each one growing harsher than the one before it.
“Gonna make me come- fuck- so fast,” Steve panted with a smirk. You leaned up blindly and found his mouth, licking into it to muffle your moans. One of his large hands fell to the outside of your thigh to hike your leg up around his waist. If you were seeing spots before, the change in angle made you see stars.
You blearily opened your eyes and unclenched one of your hands from his shirt. His eyes locked onto yours as you reached to where you were joined to start rubbing your clit. You didn’t manage it for more than ten seconds before Steve was batting your hand away.
“Let me do the work, baby.” Your hand fell behind you to brace yourself. If you didn’t do that, you’d have collapsed back onto the table. Something in you desperately wanted to keep watching this.
You watched as Steve’s eyes slipped closed in pleasure. His brow furrowed slightly, his lips were gently parted, and his dexterous fingers worked you over. You felt yourself reaching your peak, climbing higher and higher until you couldn’t contain it anymore.
“S-Steve,” you whimpered. He opened his eyes and nodded, keeping the rhythm of his fingers and his cock steady.
“Come for me,” he ordered. You needed no further urging. Your toes curled inside your uniform blue and white sneakers and your back arched into him. Electricity danced along your limbs, running through you in the best way possible. Steve kept you going through it all, extending your release until you were positively shaking.
It wasn’t until you leaned your forehead against his again, your hand trembling where it still clutched at his shirt, and made eye contact with him again that he pulled out of you with a grumbled curse. A few furious strokes of his hand brought him over the edge. You felt a wet, dripping warmth paint the top of your thigh.
Neither of you spoke. You just leaned against each other, chests heaving, relishing in the comfortable silence as both of you slowly came back to the world. Without a word, Steve pulled away from you and walked to the other side of the room, tucking himself back into his shorts as he went.
He returned with a wet rag in hand. For a moment, your heart lurched at the kind gesture. You quickly beat that feeling down and forced a casual grin even though your breathing was still heavy.
“Thanks,” you said. You grabbed the rag from him even though he had already begun the motions of wiping your thigh clean. He didn’t argue with you or even look upset. He looked understanding. Like this was something he expected. You stopped gazing at him, choosing to look down at what you were doing instead. “I appreciate that you pulled out but you can come inside me next time,” you chuckled.
“Next time?” Steve asked. You caught your slip-up as you slid off the break table to grab your discarded clothing. As you bent down to grab your shorts, you looked up at him. He was still flushed a pretty shade of pink. His hair was slightly askew and his lips were plump and wet.
“Well, if you want to. I could get my frustration out and you could actually get laid for once,” you said when you straightened, reverting to that teasing banter present between you before this happened. Steve chuckled at your light-hearted barb and ran a hand through his hair.
“Alright. Friends who fuck?” he offered as he held his hand out. You shimmied back into your underwear and shorts before grasping it. You two shook on it, grinning easily all the while. You both got the sense that it was not either of your first times with this sort of arrangement.
“Next time though, let’s not be wearing these silly little sailor outfits.” Steve scoffed and nodded.
“You got that right.” You headed towards the bin where you put discarded rags to be picked up by the laundry service. After you tossed it in, you turned to see Steve holding the ‘You Suck’ whiteboard. Your expression dropped into a deadpan and you propped your hands on your hips.
“If you think that constitutes adding a ‘You Rock’ tally, you’re disinfecting the table,” you threatened. Steve erased a single tally from the ‘You Suck’ side and gave you a shrug like that was a fair compromise.
“You’re still cleaning the table.”