Take on Me
Summary: You would think that working with movies would be exciting, but it's not, at least for Steve. Especially with Robin taking the day off. But when she walks into his life it seems like everything goes from black and white to a world full of color.
Word Count: 2k
Steve Harrington x Reader(she/her)
Warnings: cursing, weed and edibles, ghosts
Empty days in the video store felt painstakingly eternal as Steve was trying to find the means to break up his shift.
When Robin called to break the news that she was taking the day off after getting wasted the night before he felt exhausted, already envisioning the boredom ahead.
He knew it wasn’t right to blame Robin for that. It was his idea to celebrate Robin and the kid's week of surviving high school. Something Steve had to convince her multiple times would happen.
"We literally lived through hell and back. But high school is where you draw the line?" "Back off this is completely different!"
Rambling about all the worst things that could possibly happen. Even with the party Robin still had a bit of an edge.
Hoping that an after party between the two would be the cure turned into Robin getting shitfaced at Steve's house and having to babysit her for the night. The worst part was trying to sneak Robin back to her own house as she loudly gushed about Vickie.
How was he supposed to know Robin was a lightweight? Perhaps it was his 'King Steve Days' which built his tolerance.
Either way he had nothing else to do for the day. Completing all the tasks in less than an hour.
To be fair it usually took longer with Robin and Steve talking as they shared responsibilities.
Since it was the middle of the day when no one would be in to rent, return, or even look around Steve just hung out around the front counter. Hoping something or someone would magically appear and take him out of his misery.
Just as his eyes were about to flutter shut, his hand already propped up to his cheek, he suddenly heard the sound of an odd rumbling. Looking in front of him to the cardboard cut out shaking by itself.
Desensitized by the oddities of Hawkins he instinctively readied himself for another upside down nightmare.
Grabbing a random VHS to use as a weapon.
Out of nowhere someone tumbled out of the cut out. A figure Steve couldn't help but feel like he'd seen before. Until he saw her face.
The same one he passed by every time he went in and out of the doors of Family Video. The same one he'd question Keith for having in the store when the movie hadn't been popular in so long. Responding with "Its a masterpiece that surpassed its time."
Something that Robin seemed to agree with but not on the day she came into work and bumped into it in front of Vickie.
"S'cuse me, sorry." she said as she felt surprised by the stand she bumped into.
Steve giggled as he saw Robin blush, her eyes caught onto Vickie who saw her apologize to the inanimate object.
"Why do we even need cutouts anyways..." Robin went on a ramble, walking towards the back, trying to divert her embarrassment to a long rant on the unnecessary need for cutouts.
Vickie's blushing face not going unnoticed by him or her friend.
Just as he was about to set the VHS down the cover caught his eye.
"It's you. The cover. On the cover." he said flabbergasted. Looking back and forth between the woman in front of him and the figure posing on the very tape in his hands.
It couldn't have been her; one there being no chance of a celebrity ever visiting Hawkins, and two no less coming through a cardboard cut out of an old cheesy comedy with constant double entendres.
"Wanna take a picture or are you gonna do something about it?" she said to him with a sure grin as she walked towards him. The same line on the cover, freaking him out even more.
"How did you get out... what are you." whilst Steve freaked out, the star stayed oddly calm.
"Is this another Upside Down thing because I've already dealt with enough last year-"
"Relax its just a bit of 'movie magic'. If you want I could show you a good time... Steve" she said moving close up to read his name tag.
Feeling a blush take over his face he largely considered that if anything he learned from the previous dangers should give him a sense to be cautious with the new figure standing so close to him.
Yet he felt a sense of security and excitement at the same time. Like when you're about to do something dumb in a dream but feel like doing anything else will break away from fate.
So with nothing to do he acted with the exact riskiness of a horror movie character who'd be yell at for walking right into the danger and said... "Sure."
Moving to stand near her without the partition of the desk between them. "But what exactly are we gonna do because-" before Steve could finish his sentence she grabbed his hand and with a tight squeeze he found himself transported in a blink of an eye.
Just as she showed up to Family Video he tried to balance himself from the sudden move finding himself in the hallways of a school.
Even as he looked around curiously and cautiously she moved around with the confidence of walking the earth with every location on the back of her hand.
Walking up to a random locker and grabbing a brown paper bag from a familiar rebel's locker.
"Wait a minute I know this place" Steve said recognizing the scene they were in.
Looking through the glass of the door which beyond showed the familiar group of teens he'd seen spend their Saturday in detention many times with Nancy.
The first time he'd watch the movie it was recommended by her for a date night. And the next 99 times on Steve's insistence finding a guilty pleasure to secretly share.
It probably wouldn't have been kept a secret by Mike if only he too hadn't fell for the movie (and Molly Ringwald).
"Oh my god I can't wait to rub it into Mike Wheeler's face that I got to meet Molly Ringwald."
But before she could even warn him he already opened the doors to meet the club when he found himself in a little shop with a horrified look on his face as a big weird green thing stood in front of him.
"You sure are a quick one" he heard her voice behind him, gently patting his shoulder as he already sticks his arms to shield them from the dangerous plant growling at them.
"Not this one Twoey. He's all mine." she said hugging his arm. Making Steve's face flush as bright as her red nails.
"Besides I got something else special for you." She said grabbing what seemed like gummy bears in the brown back and hurling them to the plant, not one falling on the ground.
"Don't worry big guy. Twoey's just a lil' hungry." Facing Steve with her sparkling eyes. "Lets go somewhere more exciting. Grabbing his hands again and leading them through another door.
Not before saying goodbye to the carnivorous plant. "I'll see ya around Twoey."
Steve still a bit surprised by the giant plant and by her actions which made him blush.
Looking around his surrounding he felt a slight shiver down his spine. As if the hotel walls that surrounded the pair held something more sinister.
It wasn't until he turned around to find an odd green flying 'thing' rushing towards them and a guy in a jumpsuit that he knew there would be trouble.
Before Steve can even react he got slime on his vest. "Dammit, I just washed this!" he exclaimed in a huff, looking down at his stained clothes.
"Well why don't we go somewhere a little more private?"
Turning to the guy laying on the floor. "Have fun with the ghost busting." Waving her goodbye, still dizzy from the ghost that ran up to him.
As they walked into another film Steve found himself in a dark dining room only illuminated by the candles sitting on top of a cake.
"Hey I know this movie" Steve said grinning as he went straight to the table.
(Definitely not admitting to his obsession with Molly Ringwald.)
"Thought I'd save the best for last." she said sitting across from him. The birthday candles illuminating Steve's excitement to recreate one of his favorite scenes.
"Thanks for getting my clothes back to normal"
"Thanks for coming over."
"Thanks for coming to get me."
"Happy Birthday Steve... Make a wish."
Steve smiles. "It already came true."
He looks down at the cake. Amazed by the adventure of a lifetime.
Maybe following the plan Steve's parents envisioned wasn't meant for him, being with Nancy, or even leaving Hawkins.
Because no matter how chaotic things get and the risk that anything could happen. He couldn't help his heart swell as his hopefulness that things can be so much more interesting.
With hope in his heart he leaned in to kiss the starlet, hearing the music play in the background as his vision fades to black.
Opening his eyes Steve awakes to see the VHS of the movies he'd just experienced drop on the floor. So it had all been a dream, he thought as he moved around the desk to pick up the VHS that fell.
Wishing that he'd stayed dreaming as to pass the time the familiar ring of the front door alerted him just as he almost finished picking up all the tapes to the same vibrant red nails he'd seen before.
It was her for real. Not the movie dream version but the real life one. The same girl he'd seen tail behind when Robin and Vickie did their awkward version of flirting.
Even though they never talked Steve noticed the little things about her.
The way she always got candy when picking a movie. How she'd apologize to others for being in the way even when the hyper kids who came in weren't looking in the first place.
Overall she was sweet.
Looking at him with her glasses covered face he couldn't help but feel lost in them as he quickly straightened out his outfit and ran his fingers through his hair hoping that he didn't look caught of guard.
"Wanna take a picture or are you gonna do something about it?" she said to him with the same sure grin that made his eyebrows shoot up.
"What?" Steve said feeling a sense of deja vu.
"I mean... that's the line from the movie right? I remember seeing it a while ago but I guess I'm not as cool saying that." she said endearingly shy as she looked down and pushed her glasses up.
Even with knowing that she was also shy Steve couldn't muster up his usual suaveness (that Robin would claim ended along time ago).
"No, no I think you're very cool. As cool as a cucumber." already regretting saying with a sigh, as soon as he heard himself. He could already see another tally by Robin.
Finding his nervousness endearing she softly laughed.
As she told him her name Steve knew using pick up lines like "Are you sure you name isn't the girl of my dreams?" would be too cheesy but after that weird nap...
...maybe it was his subconscious or fate, but all he knew was that his heart skipped a beat looking at her.
"And you're... Steve." she said reading off his tag.
Steve never finding his name as nice as she when she had said it.
"Do you need help with-" "No I got it thanks though. Just have to take the long trek to here." he said leading her to the desk he'd minutes ago was napping on.
"These sure are some interesting picks."
"Um yeah they are" Steve nervously combed through his hair. "I mean they're not for me. Just a couple of tapes I picked out for my kids. I mean not 'my' kids just these kids I babysit from time to time."
"That's really nice of you."
"I mean not really they all just seem to stick around so I'm usually the one in charge." Trying to make babysitting the gang seem much, much cooler than it really was.
"I have to say you have really nice taste."
"I usually try to get a little bit of everything. Or else we'd just watch Star Wars all the time. Which is a good movie with those teddy bears but every single movie night with them, its the first time they've seen it- I'm oversharing aren't I?"
"A bit yeah. But its fine. It sounds like you really care about them. And I get it movie nights with my friends can get pretty crazy too."
"Yeah um if you want maybe we could have a movie night together..." Steve asked crossing his fingers underneath the counter. "I mean not just me and you but our friends together if that's not to weird."
"Yeah I think they'd love it..." she said with a sweet grin that makes Steve think of how grateful he is to work at Family Video for the first time.
*Author's Note:
Thank you so much for reading this. If you've read my previous work I know I've been away for forever long ago but I'm back, back, back again by popular demand (not really but I really wanted to say that).
Anyways I hope you enjoyed the movie references. If you didn't catch on they we're; Breakfast Club, Little Shop of Horrors, Ghostbusters, and 16 Candles.
I know there are so many iconic scenes in these movies but I kinda wanted it to hint that the bouncing between movies was a dream.
I also know that in Breakfast Club it wasn't gummy bears and that edibles don't work that quick but I just felt that throwing weed at Twoey made less sense (not that throwing edibles at a plant makes more but...)
I've posted about this before but if you think this fic is OC instead of reader I'll change it but I think there's not to many physical descriptions that make it an OC, but maybe I'm wrong.
I hope you enjoyed this fic and if you have any request please let me know. I'll try to get to them as soon as I can since I want to write more. Have a good day.
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