RESTLESS CONFESSIONS
fem reader x steve harrington
WARNINGS: reader has insomnia, mentions of demodogs (RIP bob) literally just pure fluff!
she had gotten a job during the summer at the Scoops-ahoy shop located just next to a clothing shop in the Hawkins Mall, Not because she wanted the teenage experience of working an ice cream job but instead she needed money to keep up with fixing her car, and well she hadn't wanted to let her best friend down.
to which now it was her first month into it and already she thought that maybe the idea of working in an icecream shop was the worst idea Steve Harrington had ever convinced her into doing.
because not only did she have to wear a hat that made her look like a fool, and say some stupid line over and over again she dealt with the sound of loud teens and children all day.
the cold freezers that had almost taken her life multiple times from their shitty locks, and the miserable washing of dirty and sticky dishes left behind from customers.
but the best part about it was she worked along side her friends and she got paid to basically scoop ice cream and retort cheesy pirate lines to each of the customers who came and went.
"hey dingus! can you get a barrel of vanilla from the freezer" she could hear robin yell from the back of the shop as she leaned against the front counter with a cash register in front of her.
the shop had been dead because it was only nine in the morning and not many people wanted ice cream at an hour like this. Even if the hot summer air of Hawkins was buzzing about them.
the hot air that had melted y/n on her way to work because she still couldn't afford to fix her air conditioner in her car that had broken many months ago.
since no one was in the shop or merely even passing by the shop she stepped away into the back to see Steve in the freezer.
he was burying himself while trying to keep the door open so he hadn't locked himself inside the freezer again, if it weren't for y/n and robin he would've accidentally killed himself.
he would've froze to death and been one with the ice cream
she held open the metal door for him so his foot could fully step into the freezer and grab a fresh barrel of vanilla because when they closed last night they forgot to replace it.
y/n yawned a little and closed the freezer door behind steve before she followed him out into the front of the store where he took the empty barrel from the cooler and placed the new one in.
"you get any sleep last night?" he asked and watched as she shook her head and tossed away the empty ice cream bucket.
"why not you've barely been sleeping these past few days, everything alright with you doll?" he could see the way she shrugged it off before finally responding when he gave her the look.
"just insomnia you know the usual of not being able to sleep" she pushed it away from her mind before taking a rag and wiping down the outside glass to the cooler to try and ignore his questions.
"you try those sleeping pills yet?" he watched her roll eyes and continue to wipe over the glass to which he knocked from the other side to get her attention so that she’d just look at him.
“i tried a few, but nothing works it just makes me feel like it’s impossible to get some sleep even just an hour or two”
she figured the issue would probably resolve itself or atleast she hoped it would, ever since the demo-dogs and the upside down came into her life she had acquired the unwanted insomnia.
not that she had nightmares but it was just like she could never could god damn sleep no matter what sleeping pills or meditation she tried, she even tried drinking so much caffeine to try and reverse it but instead it had caused her to stay up for two days straight.
nothing ever had seemed to work for her, well the only time she had ever gotten a full 8 hours of sleep after she grew her insomnia was the night with steve.
when he had spent the night at her place because he was absolutely blasted drunk and it was safer than having him drive home, maybe it was just because she felt safe knowing he was safe.
she was exhausted and she was waiting for each and every minute of her shift to go by so she could get some shut eye.
or atleast try to.
-
“y/n why am i here, it’s 11 at night? besides you should be getting some sleep for tomorrows opening shift” Steve asked as he slipped off his coat and left it on her couch.
she was standing there in her pajamas giving him a shrug because she didn’t want to admit it, she only had him there for the comfort and well when the sleeping pills didn't work he had become the last resort for her to get some sleep.
“talk sweetheart, you don't have to get shy with me"
“i need you to help me fall asleep, i just can’t no matter what i try to do” she finally spilt out and watched as he smiled a little at her.
“of course on the couch or your room, i can sleep on the floor with maybe a couch cushion or two?” he spoke and watched her shake her head as he followed her into the bedroom.
“sleep on the bed, my best friend doesn’t deserve to sleep on the floor or on my couch besides we don't need your back hurting for tomorrows shift” she huffed at him and slid in the bed,
she watched him slip off his shoes along with his socks.
he pulled off his sweater and was left in an undershirt, he undid his belt for a little more comfort and stripped away his socks.
he slid in next to her and laid straight flat on his back and stared up at her ceiling, she had a lamp on steve’s side,
“can you turn the light out please?” she asked and watched his hand reach over to pull the string that connected to the light bulbs switch.
“anything for my girl” he remarked and now it was dark in her room but he still laid in the same awkward position as he did.
“i’m sorry if this takes a while insomnia can’t be cured by having a you in my bed Harrington" she retorted playfully and felt the awkward feeling of his body shifting in the bed.
he could feel her toss and turn every few minutes and he started to feel a little ache in his heart knowing she couldn't sleep.
his hand rubbed her back a little and he felt her body slightly relax a little into the gentle touch of his palm.
"maybe i'm just the magic you need"
-
they had been going at this for a week now, steve sleeping over at her place, trying different techniques to make her sleepy.
reading books, breathing exercises, lavender bath salts, a warm shower and even trying to sleep on the couch it was all just somehow useless to get her to fall asleep.
she looked over at him on the cushion next to her with a soft frown,
"i'm sorry i made you go through this, i figured maybe having a friend over would help me cure it" she admitted and watched him shake his head a little at her before he stood up.
"i'm gonna find a way to get you to sleep y/n, you need your rest especially if you're gonna work shifts from six in the morning until all the way til closing time" he set down the mug of tea he had and gestured for her to take his hand.
to which of course she did, with a furrow of her brow as he pulled her out of the house and into his car, she buckled her seat belt and looked at him with a soft sigh.
"we already tried a car ride stevey, its not gonna work besides its just gonna be a waste of your gas" she frowned and watched him start up the car and without even saying a word until they had reached the main roads.
"yes but you've never tried it at night, besides if it works than it'll be a miracle if not i'll stop and buy us some snacks and a movie"
she smiled at his response and started to gaze out the window at how he was taking an unusual path, he was now driving on a dirt road and until he stopped at a blank spot.
just where there were only a few trees that shot up from the ground and they could see the sky so perfectly and clearly.
"stars is your solution?" she asked and bit down on her lip a little as they both had gotten out of the car to take a look above her.
"you're obsessed with them, you always complain about the light pollution especially from the mall, so maybe this will help"
without even another word she wrapped her arms around him, even if she couldn't sleep she could feel her heart pounding out of her chest from how much her love grew for him.
he popped open the back of his car and sprawled out a few blankets and pillows for her, he had a blanket and pillow tucked in his arm for himself and it made her tilt her head.
"can you sleep back here with me? just in case a snake or maybe a bug crawls in here?" she gave him the look, the one he couldn't resist and it always made him say yes to her.
as he laid back beside her he let out a little sigh before he began to talk, "you know i read about light therapy for getting people to fall asleep, most of the time the colors can help calm the brain"
"okay dr. harrington" she retorted back with a chuckle watching a shooting star fly across the sky and the only thing she could wish for was that harrington got her a full nights worth of sleep.
she closed her eyes for a second before wrapping herself up in the blanket that her and harrington were now sharing, embracing in the heat of his body she could feel the gentle feeling of a kiss he had placed a top of her forehead.
-
waking up with a soft breath she turned to look at her surroundings back in her living room wrapped in a blanket with the smell of something coming from the kitchen,
steve still wearing his mustard sweater and a pair of striped boxers had a pan in his hand cooking a pancake as the coffee brewed.
checking the time y/n cursed aloud it was past their shift time, by the time they got into work they'd be an hour or two late. "steve we're late for work, robin's gonna kill us!" she cried out and watched him chuckle a little.
"we have the day off i called robin, besides new hires are coming in today anyways" he could see the relief flush over her and she folded her arms with a little smile across her face.
"how'd you do it? how'd you get me to sleep a full 8 hours steve?'' she asked and looked at him, setting the pan down and rubbing over the side of her cheek he kissed the top of her forehead.
"this was just the magic you needed"
