Willow should have noticed his BMW in the parking lot. She should have seen it and been able to brace herself immediately for not only the painfully awkward encounter that was awaiting her, but also the cumbrous evening that was waiting for her.

Steve.

She hadn't seen him in a month, since the party and their fight. Neither would have ever admitted it was their pride standing in the way, and they'd both used the excuse of giving each other space when Robin pressed the issue. She seemed to buy it when it came to Willow, though, and had let her continue on with the same sorry excuse. Robin had supported them, dealt with their persistent trading of shifts to avoid each other and split her time fairly between her friends. It had been easy - almost too easy. They should have expected that eventually, this slip up was going to happen, and they would have to face each other again.

And the slip up happened all because Willow couldn't stop thinking about Eddie and his ridiculous joke about being in love with her.

"Welcome to Family Vid-" Steve began to greet in his customer service voice, his words immediately dying in his throat once he looked up to spot the red-head.

Willow froze in her spot, hardly a few steps into the store, eyes wide as she took in Steve. She couldn't say a word; her throat immediately constricted as her heart dropped to her knees.

He was a sight for sore eyes. His normally perfectly styled hair was messier than she remembers it being usually, as if he had been running his hands through it habitually. His face looked tired , faded purple rings that matched Willow's own behind her concealer. And the moment those soft brown eyes met hers, she watched him tense, almost as if she were looking into a mirror.

"Hey," he finally breaks the silence, voice breaking on the single syllable.

She swallows hard before she can answer him, "Hi."

Neither says another word before Willow takes off, power walking her way to their back break room to drop off her bag and slip on her work vest. She pauses and takes a few deep breaths once she's out of his sight, eyes pinching and hands shaking.

Fuck.

She'd been pushing down all the emotions she knew she needed to deal with for a month . A month of pretending that everything hadn't blown up in her face, a month of pretending that Steve Harrington never existed.

A month of emotions, all rising to the surface at once.

"Fuck," she whispers harshly to herself, blinking rapidly and refusing to let any tears gather in her lashline. No, she wouldn't cry over Steve. Not again.

Not again.

She thinks over the words bitterly, knuckles white as she grips the green vest she had yet to slide over her shoulders. This time was nothing like all the other times Willow had cried for the boy - this time, she wasn't crying out of hopeless pining. She was crying because she had lost a friend, a damn good one at that, and seeing him made the entire world come to a halt. The thought of spending the night with him, having to bury down her pride at a moment's notice and act as if everything hadn't gone terribly wrong between them, is almost too much.

"Hey," Speak of the Devil, and he shall appear. Steve raps his knuckles gingerly on the doorway despite already walking through the threshold, "Is... is everything okay?"

Maybe this is it. Maybe we'll both apologize, we'll be friends again, and things can go right again. Maybe we can fix this.

She sniffs hard, turning to look at him with her blankest stare. When she doesn't answer him, waiting for him to break the ice, he awkwardly diverts his eyes, "Sorry, I just... there's customers, and a bunch of returns that need rewinding-"

We can't fix this.

The realization is heavy, a stone in her stomach. He wasn't asking her if she was okay in that way. He wasn't asking as a friend - he was asking as a coworker.

"Oh, y-yeah. Sorry!" she rushes out, growing more embarrassed by the second and yanking her vest on clumsily, "Sorry, I-I'll be right out."

He nods, leaving without another word.

Things aren't going to go right again. It's broken, and it's my fault.

She meant it when she told him she'd be right out. She leaves the breakroom and doesn't spare him another glance, getting right to settling onto the floor behind their checkout counter and immediately working on rewinding the returned tapes. It's methodical - she inserts each new tape into the makeshift VHS player attached to an impossibly small screen, fumbles with the sticky buttons, and squints until she's sure the movie has been returned to start from its beginning. Then she pops them back out, puts them back in their case, and starts a new stack for her to put away later. Rinse and repeat.

The entire first hour of her shift is occupied with this routine as Steve tends to the customers that wander in, and she's shocked to not hear him flirt with a gaggle of girls who come in, fingers twirling in their blonde locks as they bat their eyelashes at him. He doesn't even react. For once, the girls are flirting with him, and he seems to not care.

Once she's completed the stack of returns, she stands on numb feet and picks up the tapes from the floor. She spreads them across the counter, organizing them by genre, forcing herself to not glance up at Steve every time he walks past.

It works for the second hour.

Then the boredom seeps in. And the ache for their usual routine of jokes and casual conversation creeps in. Willow won't be the first to admit defeat, to do anything they normally would.

Steve isn't so prideful.

" God , did you hear that dude?" he huffs, rounding the counter and sitting on a stool behind her dramatically. He clearly doesn't realize he's broken the ice until she does, as they both freeze up at the same time, similar to when she first walked in. He doesn't let that stop him, though. It almost made her want to smile as she kept busy with the returns at hand, "Dude was asking if we have any X rated content . Like, what the hell? This is a Family Video. Who comes into a Family Video asking for porn?"

That gets a small giggle out of her, but she's quick to swallow it down, and Steve doesn't hear it. She spares him a glance finally, turning her head ever so slightly to look at him over her shoulder, keeping her voice low as she murmurs, "You know we do have an adult video section, right?"

There's no emotion to her words. She's simply stating a fact about their place of work to her coworker. She's not joking with a friend, because that's something her and Steve don't do anymore.

Steve's arms immediately drop from where they've been crossed. He clearly doesn't get the memo as he gasps, "What? No way, you're fucking with me."

"I'm not," she clarifies in a faltering monotone, still not turning to face him as she grabs a few romance movies that she had rewound and begins to walk over to their respective station, "Ever been in the back rows on this side of the store?"

"No, you and Robs are the weird ones who actually care about our selection."

"Well, check it out sometime. Maybe we aren't so family-friendly after all."

The conversation ends there. They continue on with their shift tasks like normal. Willow manages to get all of the returns back to their shelves, and Steve stays out of her way. His focus is on the customers - her focus is on the movies. Or at least, she tells herself it's on the movies. She catches herself glancing at an unknowing Steve across the aisles more times than she'd like to admit.

Another hour ticks by in silence. It grows dark outside.

"Damn it," she sighs when she catches sight of a cart filled to the brim with more returns that need to be sorted out onto the floor.

Steve looks up from where he's leaning on the counter with a magazine, face blank as he asks, "What?"

She didn't expect him to say anything in response to the curse that was meant more for herself than him. She doesn't freeze up this time, though, "The cart's full."

The cart. She doesn't have to elaborate as Steve grimaces, knowing that that cart was the bane of all their existences.

"Rob told me she would take care of it last night. Sorry."

"Don't be," Willow shrugs, already grabbing a handful of movies from the top metal shelf, "We both know Robs hates cart duty. No surprise there."

The silence encases them again as Willow grabs a few movies and begins to put them away. She leaves the cart next to the front counter, returning and flitting about the store to keep busy. Unlike Robin, she doesn't mind cart duty. Something about the routine comforts her.

Steve stays silent, but after about ten minutes of no customers, she notices that he quietly begins to help her. They're both wordless as they do their job, purposefully keeping to opposite sides of the stores. It becomes an unspoken trade off; Willow takes care of all horror and action movies while Steve takes on the romantic comedies and animated films.

When Steve snorts as he picks up a particular film, right as Willow reshelves The Evil Dead , it catches her attention. This time, he doesn't ignore her look, holding up the movie in his hand.

"Who keeps renting The Muppet Movie ? I kind of feel bad for that parent," he laughs ever so softly, eyes nervous and not meeting hers before he starts to walk away from the counter.

She realizes at this moment that he's making an effort. That he keeps trying to initiate casual conversation, keeps trying to joke around with her, and that she's the one who keeps shooting him down. She's the one not returning his smiles, not entertaining his jokes as she normally would.

She can't help herself. She's fed up with tension and the act of being nothing but coworkers.

"It's not a parent," she blurts out before he can get too far from her, making him stop dead in his tracks and turn back to her slowly. She lets the kind smile overtake her face as she puts on a teasing tone and lets herself indulge in the joking finally, "It's the same guy who keeps renting out Cheech and Chong . Every week he grabs both movies. It's- It's fucking weird. Funny, but weird."

His grin is what softens her further, making her shoulders drop in relaxation, "Is it the same guy who buys out our snack counter every time he's in?"

"Yup," she supplies, awkwardly popping the 'p' and rocking on her heels.

Steve laughs. He fully throws his head back and lets his shoulders shake for a moment, and she watches him with the knowledge that she misses him . God, she misses him and their friendship.

"Wow," Steve says sarcastically, wiggling his eyebrows, "I wonder how he's spending his Friday nights."

Willow is the one who decreases the distance between them, walking over and leaning on the counter as she continues to smile at him, "Stoned. Definitely stoned."

"Lucky him."

"Right? Lucky bastard."

Their chuckles mingle together before fading out, and Willow sees this as her chance.

She fiddles with her hands, picking at some of the skin around her thumbnail before clearing her throat, "Look, Steve-"

"Don't."

She lifts her head quickly, looking up at him with confusion. He doesn't look angry. He looks... sad.

"Don't what?" she whispers.

"Don't... Don't say what you're about to say," he watches her face flood with confusion, so he continues on, "Look, maybe I'm being an arrogant son of a bitch, but I'm assuming you're about to apologize, right?" When she nods, he takes it as his signal to keep talking, "Don't apologize. I- You've got nothing to apologize for. And I... I don't..." he sighs and is clearly frustrated as he rakes his hands through his hair, The Muppet Movie discarded onto the counter, "I just miss you, okay? And I want to be friends again. Is that okay? Can we just... just go back to normal? Forget that night ever happened?"

She looks down to her hands, biting back a sad smile. She knows it's a bad idea to continue on as if the night never happened. But it's tempting, so tempting she finds herself nodding immediately.

"Yeah. Yeah, I think I'd like that."

The tension that has been there the entire night finally breaks, shattering completely as Steve sighs and finally rounds the corner of the counter to stand in front of her. He doesn't have to say a word as he opens his arms - she doesn't hesitate to reach out and pull him into a hug.

" God," he sighs into her hair, "I've missed you, 'Low. I'm-"

"No apologizing," she cuts him off, squeezing him tightly before letting go and stepping back, "If I can't say sorry, neither can you."

So he doesn't. He lets the apology die on his lips at her insistence.

"I've missed you too," she adds on, and the wrinkle between his eyebrows disappears immediately. Everything smoothes out across his face in relief as he takes in her sincere composure.

This time, when the conversation ends and the silence follows, it's not the same painful cumbersome atmosphere. It's something lighter, it's something comfortable, it's something nostalgic.

We can fix this.

They no longer stay on opposite sides of the store, instead joining each other as they work on each aisle together and eventually empty the cart. Steve hums along to the songs playing over the radio from time to time, and Willow catches him shimmying his hips jokingly when he catches her staring this time.

" Don't you want me baby? " He sings along to The Human League off-key, voice high and squeaky, fully intent on making her laugh. And laugh she does, sending a soft smack to his shoulder and shoving him gently as she passes him. She can hear him still singing along as she walks towards the center of the store, " Don't you want me? Oooohhhh! "

"Hey Steve?" she calls over her shoulder.

"Hm?"

"Who sings that song?"

"Oh! The Human League. I think the guy's name is Oakey? Like Phil-"

"Cool. Maybe leave the singing to him then," she teases, leaning her back to the counter as she faces him, standing dumbfounded in the children's cartoon aisle.

His mouth falls open, a smile twitching on the corners of his mouth, " Wow . Low blow, Jenkins. Very low blow."

She shrugs theatrically, "Jus' sayin'."

" Jus' sayin', " he mocks her teasing tone, walking up to her, "Really bruised my pride there. Cruel woman."

"You'll survive," she assures him, still sickly sweet in her joking as she leans over and pinches his cheek. He swiftly swats away her hand, huffing and puffing in faux annoyance.

This was easy. This soothed the ache that had hollowed at her bones for a month now. Steve was her friend, and she didn't think she could change that if she tried. She may no longer be convinced she's desperately and hopelessly in love with him, but it doesn't change the fact that he's earned his spot in her heart. She liked having him around, especially when they could joke around like this.

No pressures, no fights, no hard feelings. Just the two of them and the radio top ten in the middle of Family Video.

She notices Steve staring at the back wall of the store as they stand around, some sort of commercial currently playing over the speakers rather than any actual music, and decides to take the opportunity to tease him some more.

"Thinking about checking out the adult section, Harrington?"she bumps her shoulder to his, making him jump as a blush overtakes his face.

"Huh?" he asks, and she's about to repeat herself when he clearly picks up what she was insinuating, "What? No! God, no. Ew, I- No."

His persistent denial makes her suspicious, and she's sure the next shift he works without her he will be checking out the section. Purely out of curiosity, of course, if anyone asks.

She hums in response, giving him a look before the bell of the door sounds off, indicating new customers.

"Welcome to Family Video!" she calls out without glancing in the direction of the front of the store, still looking at a blushing Steve, "How can we help you?"

She finally moves from beside him, and he turns as well to face the customers.

Except, it's not customers.

It's Robin Buckley, their beloved friend, red in the face and pointing an accusing finger at Willow.

"You!" she shouts, making Willow freeze up beside Steve.

"Me?" Willow asks, clearly not sure what's happening. Steve looks just as clueless when she glances to him for help, offering a subtle shrug.

" You !" Robin reaches Willow, jabbing her finger into her chest, "You-You idiot !"

"Uh, Rob?" Steve questions, "What's going on? How did you even get here? Did you- Oh my God, did you walk the entire way here? You know what I told you about walking at night! It's dangerou-"

"No," Robin interrupts, hardly offering a glance at Steve, squinting eyes focused on Willow, "I did not walk here."

Right on cue, the door's bell sounds off again, and this time, Willow and Steve look up at the entrance at the same time. Eddie strolls in, looking unusually bashful as he waves.

Eddie .

Willow is too distracted with her own reaction to even take note of Steve's, not that there's much in that department. Steve neither tenses nor relaxes when the familiar metalhead walks through the door. Willow, however, feels her breath leave her in the wind.

It's not a bad thing. She's come to enjoy the suffocation that comes with seeing Eddie enter a room. It makes her head spin, her mouth pulling into an involuntary smile that reads as lovesick to every single person in the room except for herself.

She doesn't freeze up at the sight of him like she did Steve. And there's no sudden rise in emotions that makes her sick, mainly because her feelings for Eddie are always just under the surface, patiently waiting for the right time to burst into color. And now is one of those moments as she swats away Robin's finger, side-stepping the girl and taking long strides towards Eddie.

"Hey, you," she greets him softly, and when he catches sight of her, he begins to fight a smirk.

"Hey there, Red. Fancy seeing you here," he replies as if he hadn't been the one to drop her off. His arms are already opening for her embrace as she collides with him, tucking herself under his chin and squeezing his waist carelessly.

It's not like her hug with Steve. Her heart races as everything melts away from around her. It's not a hug of rekindling something lost - it's the embrace of coming home.

He sways with her some before letting her go, forcing her to step back as he slings an arm around her shoulder and begins to walk her back towards her friends.

His breath is on her ear as he leans down, whispering, "Careful. Buckley is in quite the mood."

"I heard that!" Robin chimes, seemingly irritated as they stand in front of her.

It's only then that Willow looks again to Steve, and she can see a flash of melancholy behind his eyes. There's no anger, no resentment, no irritation - just something broken that she can't decipher. A subtle sort of jealousy she was too blind to recognize.