Strawberry Ice Cream [steddie]

Pineapple-Mango Swirl

Sunday, June 30

Steve takes another bite of banana while Dustin pauses the tape.

"So what do you think?" Dustin asks.

Steve swallows the bite. "Sounded familiar."

"What?"

"The music." He eats the last of the fruit. "The music right there at the end."

"Why are you listening to the music, Steve? Listen to the Russian, we're translating Russian!"

"I'm trying to listen to the Russian but there's music playing—"

"Okay babysitting time is over you need to get in there," Robin says, suddenly bursting through the doors to the back room. She looks at the wall. "Hey, my board! That was important data, shitbirds."

"I guarantee you what we're doing is way more important than your data," Dustin says.

"Yeah?" Robin challenges.

"Yeah."

"And how do you know these Russians are up to no good anyways?"

Dustin looks at Steve. "How does she know about the Russians?"

Steve shrugs, mouth full of banana. "I dunno!"

"You told her about the Russians?"

"It wasn't me."

"Hello, I can hear you," Robin cuts in. "Actually I can hear everything. You're both extremely loud. You think you have evil Russians plotting against our country on tape, and you're trying to translate but you haven't figured out a single word because you didn't realize the Russians use an entirely different alphabet than we do."

Steve and Dustin exchange a look.

"Sound about right?" Robin concludes. They stare at each other a second, before Robin lurches forward to swipe the tape recorder off the table. Luckily, Steve gets to it first.

"Woah woah woah, what do you think you're doing?"

"I wanna hear it."

"Why?" Steve and Dustin say in unison.

"'Cause maybe I can help. I'm fluent in four languages, you know."

"Russian?" Dustin asks hopefully.

"Ou-yay are-yay umb-day."

"Oh-ho-ho!" Steve says at the same time Dustin says "holy shit!"

"That was Pig Latin, dingus," Robin deadpans.

Steve smacks Dustin's arm. "Idiot." Dustin glares at him.

"But I can speak Spanish, and French, and Italian and I've been in band for twelve years," Robin continues. "My ears are little geniuses, trust me."

"Uh," Steve shakes his head skeptically.

"Come on, it's your turn to sling ice cream, my turn to translate. I don't even want credit, I'm just bored."

The bell dings from the counter, and Steve sighs. He hands the tape recorder to Robin and heads back out into the ice cream shop.

And waiting there at the counter is none other than Eddie Munson, from yesterday. The Eddie Robin said was flirting with him, which Steve still isn't fully convinced of.

I mean, what would Robin even know about that kind of thing? Steve hasn't ever heard somebody talk about her dating charm.

Steve runs a hand through his hair and takes a deep breath. It's a new day, for renewed Harrington charisma. And if Eddie came back, that already means he didn't screw up too bad, right?"