𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞; 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐨𝐧

𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭; 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤

Song: Movement by Hozier

Warnings: !18+! sexual content minors do not interact, strong language, and general misogyny

Author's Note: Please keep in mind that this story takes place in the 90s, so office fashion and technology will reflect that! That's all, enjoy!

Dinner went better than Jo expected. As the night grew on, Steve had been stealing long glances at her from across the table. His shoe nudged hers beneath the table as she ignored his advances, despite her fluttering heart. Her eyes shifted towards her father, praying he didn't notice any changes.

"I thought we were already working together, Dad. What more am I going to be doing with Steve?" Jo questioned her father, cringing at her rude tone of voice. "Uh-not that it's a bad thing. Just curious." She quickly corrected herself, shooting a shy smile at Steve, who had a smirk on his face.

Steve adored her little slip-ups. Jo often spoke without a filter, which usually ended in her unintentionally offending whomever she was talking to. And yet, he found it endearing how she'd backtrack over her words and try to correct herself; her face reading pure guilt.

Hopper explained the plan to his daughter, oblivious to Jo's reluctance to spend more time with her boss than necessary. As she listened in, it became increasingly difficult with Steve's intense glare on her as if he were undressing her with his eyes.

The next morning, Jo raced in just minutes before her shift and plopped down at the front desk. "So, what happened last night? Did he say anything to you that wasn't work-related?" Robin inquired as she pulled her chair closer to Jo, invested and eager to hear some juicy gossip. Robin was sick of Jo's reluctance. She was dying for something to happen.

Jo chuckled, her eyes quickly darting around the station to ensure Steve wasn't in the vicinity. "Okay, so let's just say that I brought it on myself. But he confronted me and wanted me to confess that I was hiding my feelings for him." Jo responded, laughing at Robin's exaggerated faces as Jo told a summary of the night. "He said that we'd be spending a lot of time together," Jo added. Her face heated as she recalled his forwardness the other night.

Robin furrowed her brows. "So, you still haven't made a move? And what about your job here?" Robin questioned, an annoyed frown adorning her face, clearly unhappy with Jo's answer.

Jo hesitated for a moment, a sad smile on her face. "About that, I have some bad news. We have limited time for gossip now. They have officially put me on the case." Jo shrugged, her mouth in a tight-lipped smile. Jo was beyond floored by the possibility of having true alone time with her boss, even though it hurt her to know that it disappointed Robin.

Robin was skeptical, a distinct frown on her lips. "Why? I need gossip time or I'll explode, Jo!" she playfully whined, taking a sip of her coffee. Jo couldn't help but smirk, excitedly anticipating Robin's reaction to the secret she was about to relay.

"I'm Steve's partner now." Jo snorted when Robin practically spat her drink out all over her keyboard. Robin chuckled darkly, thoroughly invested now.

"Oh, this is gonna be fucking amazing. What are you helping him with?" She questioned, looking back at Steve's office, where he stood at the door frame watching them gossip from afar with a hint of amusement.

Steve was well aware they were talking about him. Their gossip time took up half their shift anyway, so last night's dinner was sure to pop up eventually. His eyes traveled over to Jo and her outfit. His eyes couldn't help but wander over Jo and her outfit. The dark brown skirt and blazer were undeniably professional. And yet his thoughts steered into anything but professional territory.