Chapter Text
You felt the familiar heat of tears prick the back of your eyes. Oh no. No, no, no. Not at work. You swallowed them and smiled at the customer that approached your register. “Hi! Did you find everything okay?” When you received an affirmative, you went about the process of checking them out, going through the motions rather than thinking about it. You tried very hard not to think about anything; thinking meant the tears would come back. As soon as you were done ringing up the customer, you set out a ‘closed’ sign on the desk and hurried to the storage room in the back.
You sunk to the floor and took a deep breath. The tears came almost immediately, hot and heavy, falling from your eyes in large droplets. You tried to wipe them away, but they just wouldn’t stop.
The door to the storage room opened and Steven, your coworker, stepped inside. “Oh! Hello there. Sorry to barge in—” Steven stopped abruptly as you turned around. “Oh dear,” he said softly.
“Hi, Steven,” you croaked softly. You sniffled and wiped your eyes. “Please, come in. Don’t let me stop you from doing your job.”
“Are you alright?” he asked, venturing closer to you.
You smiled sadly at him. “No,” you said. “Not really.”
“No?” he repeated, his lips tilting into a frown. Steven squatted in front of you. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s just—” You inhaled sharply and wiped your eyes again. “Nevermind, I don’t want to burden you.”
“Oh, it’s no burden,” he assured you quickly. Steven shifted to sit beside you. “If you’re sad, I’d like to help you.”
His kindness was touching. You started to tear up again. “Thank you,” you said, your voice choked with tears.
“Oh, hey now, don’t cry, lovey,” Steven pleaded.
“I’m sorry, I just—” You were really crying now, with hiccups and sobs; the whole shebang.
“You poor thing. Come here.” Steven held his arms open for you.
You fell against him and cried against his shoulder. While you cried, Steven shushed you softly and rubbed your back. He was the essence of comfort. The longer you hugged him, the more you wished you could just hug him forever.
You pulled away once you were all cried out. “Thank you, Steven,” you said. “I needed that.”
“Of course.” He gave you a big smile. “Would you like to talk about whatever is bothering you?”
You nodded. “If you don’t mind.”
“Not at all, not at all,” he assured you cheerfully. “Come on, spill it.”
You chuckled, shaking your head. “It’s nothing particularly interesting,” you mused. “I just feel like I’m not…” You heaved a sigh. “Good enough,” you finished.
“What? That’s bollocks, (Y/N), of course you’re good enough.”
“I feel aimless.” You rested your head against the wall and shut your eyes. “I’m sorry to say this, but working the gift shop isn’t exactly my dream job.”
“Me neither,” sniffed Steven. “But it’s a living.”
“Barely,” you scoffed. You rolled your head to the side to look at him. “What would you rather be doing?”
“Me?” Steven smiled. “I’d like to be a guide here. Or maybe a curator. I love Egyptian mythology and art,” he said wistfully. “What about you?”
“I don’t know,” you answered. “Sometimes I wish I was anywhere but here.”
Steven let that sink in for a moment. “Well,” he said, “I’m glad you’re here.”
You smiled at him. “Yeah,” you agreed. “I’m glad I’m here, too. If only because you’re here, Steven.”
Steven smiled back and looked down, a soft blush rising to his cheeks. “Gosh, (Y/N), that’s sweet of you to say.”
“It was sweet of you to comfort me,” you replied. You nudged him gently with your elbow. “We should probably get back to work.”
“Probably,” Steven sighed. He got to his feet and helped you to yours.
“Can I give you one more hug before we go?” you asked.
“Absolutely!” Steven gladly accepted your embrace, tucking his chin on your shoulder. You squeezed him tightly, making him laugh. “Feel better now?” he asked.
“Much. Thanks, Steven.”
“My pleasure,” he mused. Steven grabbed whatever he came in to get and opened the door for you.
You wiped your eyes one more time to ensure you didn’t have any tear residue and left the storage room. Your job still sucked, but at least now you knew Steven was there for you if you needed him.