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Steve opened his eyes wide, letting out a huff as he walked through the garage.
“...and then she splashed me with vase water! I get she was pissy but damn, those poor flowers.” Two-Bit babbled, mindlessly chasing the irritated teen throughout the gas station.
Two-Bit had shown up earlier that afternoon, and he had not stopped talking sense. Sure, Two-Bit was a blabbermouth, but this was getting out of hand. Two-Bit was Steve’s buddy, sure, but sometimes a man needs his peace and quiet. Steve was actually enjoying working a shift on his own for once.
“Ya deserved it,” Steve grunted, making his way back into the shop part of the DX. He glanced outside for cars, rolling his eyes when there was nothing.
If he got a customer he could get Two-Bit to scram.
“Maybe! Maybe, but the flowers didn’t deserve that. I had a petal stuck to my nip-”
“I don’t need to know that!” Steve shouted and flung his hands into the air. This dude really got on his nerves sometimes. No wonder he got on so well with Ponyboy, they were both annoying little shits.
“Listen, I gotta go work. You go pester somebody else, ya dig?” Steve huffed, storming off toward the walk-in freezer. He remembered a few boxes he needed to empty out to clear up space, because glory, it would be a cool day in hell if the night shift did any actual work. The boxes would sit with one item in them for a month if Steve didn’t do it.
“I didn’t tell ya the best part.” Steve just groaned.
Steve stiffened the moment he stepped into the cold of the cooler, wincing as he continued into the freezer. He did his best to ignore Two-Bit’s constant chattering as the redhead tailed him into the cold.
Steve set to work immediately, plucking out stock and replacing it on the shelf without the box.
“Are you listening to me?” Two-Bit whined.
“No,” Steve just tossed an empty box into Two-Bit’s chest before moving to the next one. He didn’t bother to catch the man’s complaints.
Goosebumps scurried up Steve’s arms, causing him to shiver. He didn’t mind being in the freezer for a few minutes without a jacket but the longer he stayed, the less comfortable he got. Two-Bit had already slipped back to babbling away, his leather jacket keeping him from the worst of the cold.
Steve huffed, watching his breath filter away in front of him. He smacked the metal wall before straightening from where he was crouching in front of a rack.
“Alright, big mouth, let’s get out of here,” Steve grumbled.
“What, chilly already Stevester?” Two-Bit mocked, grabbing Steve by the shoulders to rattle him. Steve gritted his teeth as the man shook him, letting his body go mostly limp for a moment before kicking at the redhead's legs.
Two-Bit shrieked, dodging away from Steve’s attack with a wide grin and a wild look in his eyes. Steve couldn’t help but crack a grin, charging after him. Two-Bit started to laugh, catching Steve’s hands before he could grab the redhead. They wrestled for a moment, just holding each other by the hands and pressing back against each other.
Steve started to laugh, grunting when Two-Bit managed to knock him into the wall.
“Brr, Stevie!” Two-Bit mocked, “Do you need my jacket?”
“Oh, shut it!” Steve kneed Two-Bit, smirking as he let out a puffed breath.
“Betya would take Sodapop’s jacket,” Two-Bit croaked around the lack of oxygen. His words were dripping with their deeper meanings. Despite the cold biting Steve’s cheeks, he flushed. He hoped it wasn’t visible through the red blossoming there from the cold.
“Alright, cut it out. Gotta go check the lot.” Steve grumbled, tipping his head down as he shoved the redhead away. Two-Bit stumbled away dramatically, whining the whole way.
Steve's legs were tingling from the cold, his jeans working double time to swallow the freezer air and force it into the nest of his thighs.
It would take an hour for them to thaw out, at this rate.
His hands were already getting numb and clumsy, too. He hadn't even done much organizing in there. Steve wouldn't be caught dead putting on a coat and gloves to unbox product, though. He didn't care how annoying it was to shuffle through boxes when he needed to grab something quick, if half the crew refused to do it Steve didn't need to freeze himself trying to either.
Steve grunted when he moved to push the door open and it didn't budge.
His chest knocked against the metal surface as he expected it to swing open with ease. His fingers buckled at the force and faith of his motion. He scrunched up his face, pulling away in an instant to glare at the stubborn surface. He pressed it again, the cold of the door feeling no better on his frozen hands.
“Whaddya gettin’ handsy with the door for? Soda will get jealous, just open it.” Two-Bit wisecracked.
“It ain't opening’” Steve muttered. His hands were smarting now, the cold feeling like pins and needles on his bare skin. He pulled them away from the door and shook them out, gazing uneasily at what should have been swung open easily.
“Stop kidding around,” Two-Bit huffed, trying himself.
Still, it didn't give.
“You gotta be kidding me.” Steve groaned, watching the plume of his hot breath in the cold. It was an obvious reminder that this was no place to be trapped in as if Steve's shivering weren't enough of a sign.
“I ain't messing’ with yah!” Two-Bit's voice got serious fast, something Steve only really heard when he was playing up his big brother act.
“Nah, Two-Bit, I know. I just mean… what the fuck?” Steve brushed his hand down his face and tugged at the lousy short sleeves of his uniform. Glory, he wished he'd worn his long-sleeved shirt to work today, or just slipped on his jacket.
“Is it jammed? You think it's jammed?” Two-Bit asked, pressing and kicking at the door.
“I don't fucking know!” Steve shouted.
“Relax!” Two-Bit snapped back. Then, he pulled in a breath, smacking the door with an open palm one last time, “Whatever, it's fine. Someone will come get us.”
Steve wrapped his arms around himself, trying to cover the bare skin where his hair was pointing upright. He sank down to rest his ass on his heels, there was no way he'd be sitting on the icy floor. He stared at the closed door. Had he missed something? Had the boss tried to tell Steve and he had just spaced it?
Two-Bit stayed quiet for a while after that, the weight of their situation sinking in.
Two-Bit nuzzled deeper into his thick leather jacket, no doubt snug as he shoved his hands into his pockets. Of course, Two-Bit could only stay quiet for so long before he was right off babbling again.
Steve couldn't focus as time droned on and on. He was too busy clenching his teeth against the chattering. Steve's muscles were clenched tight against the shivering that wracked his body. Steve tipped his head down as he fought the chills. He didn't want to seem weak in front of Two-Bit. They barely seemed to be cold at all, too focused on talking about nonsense to show any kind of discomfort.
Finally, Two-Bit paused.
“Alright, c’mere,” Two-Bit mumbled as he walked towards Steve. He pulled his hands from his pockets, wiggling his fingers towards the grumpy man.
“What?” Steve grunted.
“Gimme your hands, yer shakin’ like a leaf.” Two-Bit snickered, already moving to pry Steve's hands from where he was gripping his own arms. He grimaced at the cold on his skin underneath.
“I'm fine,”
“Like hell you are, I outta be trading off my jacket but I'm a selfish man, Randle.” Two-Bit wisecracked, wiggling his brows at Steve. Steve huffed, still trying to slip his hands away from Two-Bit like a cat getting his paws grabbed. Maybe he was just being stubborn, the heat radiating from his buddy's hands was nice but something about being grabbed at irked Steve. He wrinkled his nose at Two-Bit.
“Oh, don't give me that. You're gonna get frostbite. Do me a solid and vouch for me so your boyfriend don't kill me, yah dig?” Steve huffed out something between a laugh and a scoff.
“Yeah, right. We shouldn't’ve ever told ya.” Steve shook his head.
“Aw, come on! I'm real supportive! Just don't take kindly to my buddies burying me in the woods for trying to keep my other buddies' fingers alive.” Two-Bit rambled. Steve let the man cup his hands between his, rubbing furiously over the ice-cold digits.
Even if Steve wasn't fond of the idea, he knew it was necessary.
“Someone outta be showin’ up soon,” Two-Bit spoke between breaths, huffing them between his hands so the warm air surrounded Steve's hands. It didn't necessarily feel cozy, it was more like putting his hands over hot steam.
“Ain't nobody coming,” Steve grunted. It was something that had been bouncing around in his head.
“Whaddya mean? Course somebody's gonna notice you're gone.” Two-Bit's voice was light which only served to piss Steve off more. Sure, Two-Bit was riding high with his leather jacket. He was gonna squeak by just fine until someone accidentally opened the door. Nobody would think any different to Steve not being on the floor, they'd probably just call him a rat bastard for walking out.
“Nobody’s coming!” Steve shouted, “What, you think some greasers gonna come lookin’ for the missin’ cashier? They'll see an empty shop and rob the damn thing blind! And forget a soc stopping in cuz my boyfriend ain't here for them to snatch him out from under me! So you can forget any help comin’ anytime soon, Two-Bit!” Steve's throat felt funny when he was done, his breath coming out in foggy pants. He yanked his hands out of Two-Bit’s and wrapped them back around his forearms.
“Yeah, I dig you.” Two-Bit said slowly, “Would be lyin’ if I said I wouldn’t do the same shit.” Steve’s brows shot up.
“Not if it were you or Soda workin’! Numbass.” Two-Bit huffed.
They fell into silence in the wake of Steve’s outburst. Two-Bit’s gray eyes lasered over Steve, the seriousness of his glare was abnormal for the redhead. The jokester was always kidding and lighthearted but now it seemed he was accepting the depth of their situation.
“Someone’s gotta show eventually, right? Shift changes will happen.” Two-Bit said, his blade in hand, carefully picking dirt from under his nail.
Steve didn’t understand how he wasn’t shivering.
“Yeah, cuz the first place they’re gonna go in the freezer, right?” Steve scoffed.
“Maybe we’ll get lucky and those mangy hoods will steal all the frozen stuff.” Two-Bit wiggled his brows, popping a smirk on his lips. Steve rolled his eyes. He found it especially difficult to find Two-Bit’s antics enticing when his whole body was numb and sharp from the cold.
“Do ya wanna cuddle to stay warm? We can share my jacket, c’mon, squeeze in.” Two-Bit mocked, moving to adjust his jacket with that criminal expression.
“You’d be better off givin’ me the jacket and letting the cold get ya.” Steve cracked a smirk.
“It would sure save me from Soda’s wrath.” Two-Bit laughed. It wasn’t really an exaggeration. Sodapop was fiercely protective of Steve. He didn’t know if it was residual anxiety from Sandy’s sorry ass, or if it was just Sodapop’s nature to be greedy for his partner, but he sure liked to bite the hands that poked at his man.
Steve would be lying if he said he didn’t like it.
Despite that, as time went on it got harder and harder for Steve to ignore the warm body across the freezer form him. He didn’t know how long they’d been in there, but it sure didn’t feel like a measly couple of minutes.
Two-Bit had gotten to pacing, huffing out breaths into his hands and rubbing himself warm. Occasionally, the redhead groaned, shooting Steve a wavering smirk as he shrank into his jacket.
Steve swallowed thickly.
If Two-Bit was getting cold, surely Steve wasn’t doing so hot. He sure felt tired.
“‘S fuckin’ cold.” Steve puffed out through chattering teeth. He hugged himself tighter, blinking with heavy lids as his muscles screamed from the tension building within them.
“Damn straight, c’mon, get up.” Steve tried to battle him but Two-Bit was unrelenting. He dragged Steve’s tense form from where he’d been crouching, steadying him as he swayed. His legs were numb and asleep, give him a break!
Steve didn’t fight Two-Bit as the man wrestled him into a hug, swaying the pair of them, moving in shuffling steps through the small space. Two-Bit was mumbling as he pressed Steve’s arms under his coat, hiding the bare skin against his own body heat. It didn’t make Steve feel much better but it was probably helping anyway.
Steve pressed his nose into Two-Bit’s collar.
“Am I gonna die in here?” Steve mumbled, a spike of fear shooting through him. He felt Two-Bit’s hold tightening around him.
“No, it’s gonna be fine.” Two-Bit’s voice dropped low, serious, and stern as if he were talking to a kid. Was Steve being childish? Was he being over dramatic? Maybe he should just suck it up and tough it out.
There was a familiar woosh sound and Steve’s eyes shot up.
“Don’t let that door close!” Two-Bit’s shout echoed in the small, metal space. Steve jerked at the sound of it but his eyes were immediately locked on the golden-haired man before him. There was murderous intent in his gaze but Steve couldn’t focus on it as his eyes shifted to the open doorway.
Two-Bit was already pulling away from Steve, on hand putting the slightest pressure on Steve’s back to urge him forward.
Steve burst into motion as best he could with his sleepy limbs, zipping right past Sodapop’s looming figure, scrambling through the warm fridge until he was bursting through the door into the rest of the DX.
Steve was struck by how hot it felt.
“I was just tryin’ to keep him from freezing to death, don’t kill the damn blanket.” Two-Bit was already laughing as he followed Sodapop after Steve.
“How the hell long were you guys in there?” Sodapop squawked.
“Too long,” Steve chittered, rubbing his numb arms in the heat. It felt too overwhelming but Steve still felt cold and tired. He was ready to knock out and rest, he wanted to crowd into Sodapop’s space but it felt weird with Two-Bit hovering there.
Even if the gang was supportive, Steve wasn’t too keen on PDA. Sodapop was always the one to initiate that, and glory knows Steve could never brush Sodapop off.
“I was checkin’ everywhere for you, thought you up and quit or something! Was gettin’ ready to start callin’ everybody,” Sodapop ranted, his eyes pouting like a sad puppy. He grabbed Steve’s hands, hissing at how icy they felt. He rubbed them between his and frowned deeply.
“I was tryin’ to work,” Steve grumbled.
“Yeah, well, we’re both sure goin’ home now. Gotta get you warmed up.” Soda shook his head, his protective instincts obviously in hyperdrive. Steve was now powerless to Soda’s nurturing ways, he just had to flow with it.
Just like that, Sodapop had dragged Steve home.
Darry had tried to call out after the pair but Sodapop had brushed him off, yelling nonsense about needing to put Steve in the oven. Steve sure hoped Darry wouldn’t take it the wrong way, but if Darry was smart he’d leave it be anyway.
Steve felt like he was in heaven.
Sodapop had wrapped him up in blankets and warm clothes from all about. His hands skimming soothingly over Steve’s still icy skin.
Sodapop was humming as he clung to Steve’s side, obviously content with the physical touch and the chance to spoil his boyfriend. Steve was happy too, letting his heavy eyes slip closed as he leaned into Soda’s touch.
Soda rubbed over Steve’s numb thighs, mumbling about how they felt like icepacks, radiating cold from deep inside the fat.
“Ya brought home the freezer,” Steve mumbled hazily into his boyfriend's neck.
“Well, yer sure the best freezer I coulda picked,” Soda responded. His voice was light and playful, one hand shifting to massage the back of Steve’s neck.
Soda flopped them over on the bed, interlacing their legs even though he hissed out at the cold of Steve’s skin on Soda's warm body. Steve hummed, shimmying closer the the heat that came off of Soda. He could never get tired of being close to him.
“My favorite heater.” He mumbled.
He dozed off before Soda could respond.