Written for the @corrodedcoffinfest May warm-up round.
These Keys?
Prompt: Get a Job | Word Count: 1000 | Rating: T | CW: Language, Off-Screen Recreational Weed Use | POV: Gareth | Pairing: Steddie | Tags: AU, Gareth Fakes It Until He Can Make It, Car Dealership, Gareth & Steve, Meet Ugly, Eddie Only Tortures Those He Loves Most
Gareth is dozing at his desk, when a knock on his office door startles him awake, "Your two o'clock is here."
Gareth didn't remember having a two o'clock, but he stands up and tries to smooth out his suit. It's two sizes too big, and something Eddie found for him at a thrift store. It's ugly, but works, for now. He's just working this job selling cars, saving some goddamn money, until the band can start playing full-time. Hopefully. That's the dream, anyway.
He's not very good at it, not like Eddie would be, but Eddie was a no-go with his hair that he refused to cut to be a corporate shill, or whatever he ranted about.
There's a guy standing in the showroom, waiting. Preppy and coiffed within an inch of his life. Great.
But Gareth approaches him, because he looks like he has money. And money means the chance at a commission. So, Gareth tries to shake the cobwebs out of his brain.
"I'm Steve. We talked on the phone earlier," this guy says, and Gareth reaches out to shake his hand. He has no memory of this alleged conversation. Maybe he shouldn't have gotten so stoned with Eddie during his lunch break.
Rolling out of the van loose and faded after lunch, probably wasn't the best idea he's ever had.
But he hates this job. He can't sell cars. He knows nothing about them.
"What can I help you with, Steve?" Gareth asks, and Steve's just staring at him, definitely annoyed. What's his damn problem?
"As I said on the phone, my lease is up. I need to find out how much it will be to buy mine out, or lease something new."
"Cool. Cool. Totally, man. We can do that."
"How about this one?" Gareth asks, looking at a BMW he's never seen on the lot before. It's shiny. Really, really shiny. He runs his hand over the roof. "Pretty, right?"
"Uh, yeah," Steve says, but sounds less than enthused, crossing his arms over his chest, and it looks a little aggressive, "Well, how much? What's the mileage?"
Man, he's bitchy.
There's no sticker, but Gareth can find out how much they're asking. He'll just bullshit until then.
"It's new on the lot," Gareth says, and tries to pull up on the handle, but it doesn't budge.
"Locked, huh?" Steve asks. "Maybe you need the keys?"
Gareth presses his face to the window, to see if he can see the odometer from here, but can't.
"Yeah, I'll get the keys. I'll be right back. Wait here."
"Sure, okay. I'll be waiting," Steve snaps, and Gareth strides off towards the dealership.
When he comes back, with no keys, Steve is talking to Keith. Goddamnit.
"Do you know where the keys to this car are?" Gareth asks Keith, interrupting.
Steve pulls a set of keys out of his pocket, "These keys?"
"Where'd you get those?" Gareth asks.
"It's my car, Gareth. This is the car I drove here. The one I've been leasing from you guys for the past two years. The one I told you about, on the phone."
Keith shakes his head, disappointed, and points Gareth back towards the showroom.
He's been dismissed, and his potential commission, gone. Probably his job. A lease would have made sure they wouldn't fire him. Fuck. He didn't know that was Steve's car. How could he have known? Steve could have said something, for fuck's sake. Prick.
And now Gareth just has to stand by watching as Steve goes over the paperwork on his new car. The one Gareth definitely isn't going to sell him. Keith made sure of it.
Today's not his day.
At least it's winding to a close, and when Eddie pulls up in the van, Gareth walks toward it, relieved to be done with Keith, Steve, and this job for another day.
But then he notices that Steve is following him. Which, weird. Surely he's not gonna kick his ass over a dumb mistake. He was just a little baked. That's all.
Gareth pauses. And so does Steve.
"What?" Gareth asks.
"What, what?" Steve repeats.
"Why are you following me?" Gareth asks.
"I'm not following you," Steve says, clearly following him.
"You are."
"I'm not."
They're still arguing, this childish back and forth, when Eddie gets out and leans against the van.
"Soooo, I see you've met," Eddie says.
And they both turn to look in his direction.
"You know him?!" they both yell, in unison.
And Eddie just cackles.
"You set me up!" Gareth accuses, pointing at Eddie.
"Well, maybe. A little. But it was mainly Steve I was harassing."
And then Gareth gets it.
"This is your Steve?" Gareth asks, pointing at the preppy-looking motherfucker standing next to him.
Eddie nods, pleased with himself, clearly.
"Eddie! You lost me my commission!"
Steve is rubbing his eyebrow, "Gareth. Shoulda realized. How common could that name be?"
He's muttering quietly and Gareth is scared they've broken him.
Eddie must be pretty sure about this one, if he's already picking on him this goddamn hard.
Steve snaps out of it, suddenly striding over towards Keith.
Gareth follows.
"Hey, Gareth was helping me first. He's the one I had the appointment with, so I'd like to finish this up with him. See it through."
"But, are you, I…" Keith splutters, not wanting to let this one go, obviously, and Gareth just grins and holds out his hand for the halfway filled-out lease.
Keith hands it over, and Gareth leads Steve and Eddie back to his office.
Steve signs on the dotted line, and Gareth will be able to pay his rent for another month. And he hit his monthly bonus, right at the end of the month. Hot damn.
"Thanks, Steve," Gareth says, "Sorry we got off on the wrong foot."
Steve just lulls his head towards Eddie, "Now, we had a little help with that, didn't we?"
And Eddie just cackles, like the shitty troll he is.
If you want to write your own, or see more entries for this challenge, pop on over to @corrodedcoffinfest and follow along with the fun! 🦇
Notes: Inspiration for this one, was I saw this video a couple months ago, and had to track down the original on TikTok to share it here. But: Graham, Gareth. It made sense. (And I found there were updates to the Graham debacle!!)
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