Chapter Text
“Ladies!” I did it!” Steve exclaimed as he sauntered into the cafe.
It was amusing that the few customers in there didn’t seem to mind Steve’s outburst, looking at him as if he did it everyday.
That wasn’t far off, Steve was a normal staple of their cafe. He worked the counter. That was until today, when he burst in with his big announcement.
“What? NO! Why Steve? Don’t leave us dingus!” The overlapping cries of the women who worked with him rang through the place.
Chrissy, Barb and Robin stood behind the counter, doing various tasks, but all halted when Steve walked in.
The four of them had worked at this cafe since they left college, about three years ago. Didn’t seem like a long time, but they all became fast friends. So much so that Chrissy and Barb now lived together with their friend Nancy, though she was almost never around since she started dating Jonathan. And Steve and Robin had gone in on an apartment together. So fast friends was kind of an understatement. They’d all been there for each other for a long time. And it was genuine sadness that Steve felt as he brought up his big news.
Steve sat up on the counter and swung his legs around and came over to the other side, ignoring the gripes from Barb about ‘unsanitary’ and ‘gross’. He stood and pulled her in close by the shoulders, doing the same to Chrissy and leaving them open long enough for Robin to grab on into a ridiculous group hug. Barb grumbled about needing to get work done, while Chrissy giggled and pulled his arm close. Robin made silly cooing noises and Steve just hummed.
“I know you all love me and hate to see me go but I will always be around! Unfortunately most of all for you,” he pointedly said towards Robin as he let them all go.
“So what, pray tell, is this exciting new venture you’re ditching us for?” leaning her head in her palm against the counter. She slowly slid back towards her coffee machine set up, elbow never leaving the counter. She was loveable and ridiculous at the same time.
Steve was taken aback, holding his hands up in defense before he went into the story.
“Whoa whoa whoa! Who said ditching? I’d never ditch you!”
“You literally walked in and said you’re leaving us?” Barb responded with a scoff.
“Uh, I said ‘I did it’,” Steve retorted. A stickler for details as always.
“An eyeroll all around for Steve, please,” Robin announced to the cafe. The three girls did it in unison, and if you looked closely Steve was pretty sure some customers did too.
Chrissy giggles broke through, mixing with the sound of the bell on the front door as another customer entered.
“But seriously guys!” Steve continued, “It’s finally happening!”
“What’s finally happening?” Nancy asked as she approached the counter. The staff behind the bar, Steve, Robin, Chrissy, and Barb, all looked and greeted her warmly.
“Usual?” Robin casually threw out there, getting an approving nod from Nancy.
“IT’S finally happening!” Steve looked like a kid on Christmas morning now. He looked around his friends to see if they understood. Minor glimpses towards each other, he definitely saw things clicking into place for Robin.
“Wait, no way…” she started tentatively.
“Wait, did you get the bar?” Nancy chimed in before going to blow on her coffee.
“I GOT THE BAR!” Steve blurted out!
A flurry of cheers went up from his ladies: shrieks of cheer from Chrissy, ‘omigodomigod’s from Robin, happy jumping from Nancy who thankfully was not holding her coffee, and a jaw dropped in shock from Barb.
Chrissy and Robin moved to hug Steve again and jumped up and down with him excitedly.
“I know! It’s amazing. I can’t believe it, I got a guy I went in with. It’s going to be perfect!” Steve started up again, as if he was ready to start planning that night.
“Oh my god Stevie! This is so exciting! I can’t wait to visit for the first time!” Chrissy squealed against his chest, still hugging him fiercely.
“Yeah where is it?” Nancy inquired, leaning over the counter to finally get a chance to hug him.
“Oh, that’s the best part! That’s the best part!” His excitement was rivaling kid-on-a-sugar-rush-on-Halloween. When he suddenly stopped, a giant grin still on his face.
“Nah, I’m going to wait. I want to surprise you!”
A roar of boo’s went up from the ladies, including Chrissy smacking him a little and Nancy throwing a napkin.
“You know, a lot of bars fail within the first year,” Barb stated harshly. She meant it as punishment for him being secretive, but once she saw his face fall she quickly changed direction.
“...but that’s not going to happen to you,” she finally moved in to hug him dearly, rubbing his shoulders, “because you’re amazing Steve!”
His smile perked up again, giving her a big squeeze back and thanking her.
“Ok, I am so glad I got to be part of this but I unfortunately have to run back to work now. Congrats Steve!” Nancy squealed, turning to leave.
“Wait, Nance!” Barb called her before tossing her a bag with a warm muffin in it.
“Ooooooh my god” Nancy drew out as she smelled it, “you are the best!”
Barb blew her a kiss as she retreated.
“Bye Nancy!” Chrissy waved.
“Soooooooooo,” Robin’s voice broke the silence that settled for two seconds after Nancy left. “When are you going to tell Eden?”
Steve’s face fell a little at the question as real nerves settled in him. The girls could feel it and couldn’t help but snicker at his blatant fear.
“I’m…I’m going to. I will tell her” he finally stammered.
“Well duh, you have to,” Barb replied.
“WHEN are you going to tell her?” Robin asked again, leaning in for emphasis.
Steve looked a little caught in headlights, before he sighed deeply and answered honestly.
“Like soon, ok? Is she in today?”
“Yeah,” the three replied.
“Crap…do you think she heard?”
He got three answers at the same time. Typical.
“Maybe not,” Chrissy offered generously.
“Most likely,” said Barb with a shrug.
“Without a doubt,” Robin deadpanned.
Steve whined and sighed to his friends, each still working in their respective areas and dealing with customers. Somewhat of an amazing feat considering how much time he was talking. And the fact that he was standing in the middle of the work area.
“She just - argh! She’s so scary!” Steve whined quietly to them. “She’s like a witch!”
“Steve! That’s so mean, Eden’s lovely!” Chrissy countered. A sound of frustration left Steve.
“No! No, of course I don’t mean like that. I mean like…” Steve’s voice dropped, making all of them lean in. “What if she puts a curse on me?”
Barb and Robin immediately barked out laughter, while Chrissy cooed at him.
“Oooh Steve, she wouldn’t do that.”
“Right, because there’s no such thing as witches…right Chrissy?” Barb pushed, already exasperated by the idea she might mean it.
Chrissy avoided eye contact and gave a nonchalant shrug punctuated by a ‘hmph’.
“Whether magic is real or not,” Robin butts in, already sensing the bickering argument that could ensue, “Eden is not going to turn you into a frog. Go tell her Steve."
Steve contorts his face, looking around for a reason to not go.
“Now!”
He jumps a little at Robin’s demand.
“Alright! Alright, jeez. You’re so bossy,” grumbling to no one as he walked towards the back.
“God, you’re so good at that,” Chrissy said in amazement and she watched Steve retreat.
“Yeah. It’s too bad you’re a lesbian, you’d make a great dominatrix,” Barb complimented. Chrissy shook her head enthusiastically in agreement.
“That’s true, men are weak,” Robin said wistfully. Murmurs of agreement came from the other two…and possibly some of the customers too.
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The day ran by as usual, until finally it was time to close in the early evening.
“Ooohkay! It’s mopping day!” Barb announced to the empty space.
Chrissy and Robin gave fake cries of joy, mimicking the roar of concert crowds as Barb wheeled the big bucket with water and cleaner into the front of the store.
“And tonight’s turn will beeeeee,” a fake drumroll went up between them, “Robin!”
Robin jumped up from behind the counter and jogged over to the mop like a game show contestant joining the stage. Over-exaggerated applause still coming from Chrissy.
“Thank you, thank you. It is a great honor,” Robin crowed. The other girls laughed.
“Alright Robin, what’s the mopping song today?” Barb asked while she opened up her phone to sync to the store’s speaker system.
“Pleeeeasssee something dancey,” Chrissy begged with closed eyes and crossed fingers. Robin huffed a laugh.
“I do in fact have a dancey tune in mind,” Robin said, reaching for the phone. “I, for one, am still giddy from hearing Steve’s ah-mazing news today.”
“Here here!”
“Indeed!” Barb and Chrissy replied in kind, also still very excited for their friend.
“So, very dancey tonight!” Robin finished just as the song started to play.
The heavy bass start from ‘Curious’ poured out the speakers, earning words of approval from Barb and Chrissy.
As Hayley Kiyoko began to sing, Robin started swaying her hips and prompting the other girls to join in.
Barb put her whole body into wiping down the counters, leaning over them seductively while shimmying her body. Chrissy dropped down in front of the glass display to spray and wipe it, knees fully spread to give a peep show to her reflection. Robin continued to sway and use the mop handle as a dance partner.
As the chorus hit, they all met around Robin.
“ If you let him touch ya, touch ya, touch ya…” they crooned as Robin now used the mop as a stripper pole and Barb and Chrissy gyrated around her. They continued singing and dancing and laughing non-stop at their private dance party. Completely unaware of what was happening just across the street.
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Three men walked through the empty space; surveying it, pointing out changes that needed to be made.
“Steve picked a pretty good place,” Jonathan, Nancy’s boyfriend, spoke out to no one in particular.
“Could easily put a stage against the back wall here,” another man mused. His wild chestnut hair fell in curls around his face. He continued walking through, towards the front window.
“Mhm…bar’s not too bad either,” a third man who looked like walking sex stated. He shook the bar to test its stability, muscles swelling from his toned arms. “Probably needs a little reinforcing if we want some lovely ladies to be dancing up here.”
He spoke with confidence, his tongue slipping between his teeth in a wicked grin as he looked back at Jonathan, who scoffed.
“Yeah yeah Billy…I like this. This is great.” Jonathan said.
“Yeah. This will do nicely…” the man named Billy answered. “Eddie, what do you think?”
The final man, Eddie, had moved to the front of the building. Pushing aside the divider windows that opened up the front of the building, he was staring across the street at what he thought was a pretty amazing sight.
“I really like the view,” wonder coating his words.
Billy and Jonathan joined him and watched the show that was happening across the street. Three gorgeous women danced in the storefront across the street.
Bodies swaying, hands groping and sliding over themselves, whirling towels over their heads as they dropped it low and popped their asses. They could hear the soft thrum of music from there; not loud enough to hear the words but they could vaguely hear the beat as the women danced.
Billy gave a low whistle of approval.
Jonathan, immediately recognizing the situation, looked at his two cohorts and surprisingly kept quiet. Chuckling to himself, he addressed the other two men.
“I guess that’s a plus.”
“Oh yeah…this place will do very nicely,” Eddie murmured, eyes still transfixed on the show across the street.