I leaned into making Sunny look like a daycare attendant with the rainbow accents and puffy sleeves. And used more striking patterns with Freddy as the head of the band!
Here's my nice to be kneaded headcanon: Reader always brings him treats so Steve feels bad he's not returning something. Since he's now helping out some days a week, he starts doodling little things on post it notes and leaves it in the bakery for her to find. The first few times it's employees that find them and everyone's confused who it's from, till reader puts them all together and it's the spots she took Steve when she showed him the town. She saves them all and it looking forward to what's next on Steve's list to draw.
Nice to be Kneaded:
More fun stuff!
*Had to change up the request a bit as to not interfere with a future plotline that’s already been written.
Hidden Treasure
Can be read as a one shot, or in conjunction with Nice to be Kneaded.
Series masterlist More Fun Stuff masterlist
Nomad Steve x Baker Reader
word count: 1,664
"Hey, look at this really cool thing we found!" One of your employees, Sabrina, told you enthusiastically while quickly approaching you at your spot on the desk.
You ripped your eyes away from the product order invoice on the desktop screen to take interest in her excitement.
"What is it?" You asked, as she handed it to you.
In your hand, she placed a yellow sticky note that was drawn on with a ball point pen. An immediate smile tugged at your lips when you recognized it. It was one of the espresso machines in the lobby.
On the sticky note was a drawing of the machine itself, sitting on the counter accompanying a fresh latte. The detail was sickeningly impressive considering it was on a 3 x 3 yellow square, and drawn on with a 75¢ ball point pen.
"I was doing a quick run to wipe down all the tables after morning rush and found that stuck to the small table by the espresso bar!" Sabrina enthused. "Isn't it incredible?!"
"It's amazing" You agreed with a smile.
"I wonder who did it." She pondered as you handed it back to her.
"Maybe a customer during morning rush" You shrugged, smile still invasive. "Have you guys found any more of them or was it just this one?"
"Nope, this is the first and only one." Sabrina noted. "Maybe they'll come back and leave more."
"Well whoever it is deserves a coffee and a cookie if we catch them." You noted.
"This work of art must be cherished forever" She noted, grabbing the roll of tape and tearing off a piece. She taped the sticky note masterpiece to the wall right next to the computer. "This is the new, official, Nice to be Kneaded art museum."
That post-it stayed on the wall for two days before Steve came back into the bakery to help out with the bulk supply delivery. That's when he caught a glimpse of his drawing taped to the wall, and knew he needed to leave more for you and your employees to find around the bakery.
Day by day, week by week, the scrap paper and pen art museum on the back office wall became quite an impressive display. So much so that you eventually became ignorant to the new additions on the daily because they started to blend in with the rest. But every once in a while, you'd catch your team talking about the most recent little pieces of art so you'd go to inspect the entirety of the collection.
One particularly quiet night in the bakery, you had texted Steven to see if he wanted to hang out with you. It wasn't usually a night he'd come by, but you missed his little antics and his stupidly handsome face.
Without question, he was walking through the door of the bakery 20 minutes later. His golden hair was still slightly soggy from the shower he was taking when you grabbed his attention, and he was dressed casually and comfortably as he always was.
"Hey there, honey!" You smiled big, happy to see your best friend.
"Hello, hello!" He greeted you with a smile just as big as yours, and gave you a big hug.
One thing about Steven was that he was of the same mentality of a Great Dane, he was a lot bigger and stronger than he was aware of, yet he thought he was a lap dog. Even his gentlest of hugs engulfed your entire body, and squeezed you comfortably tight.
"Thanks for coming! It was getting real quiet and lonely in here without you."
"You know I'd never miss a chance to spend time with you." He playfully exclaimed. “Need help with anything?”
“Nothing other than curing my boredom” You shrugged.
His eyes looked over to the wall of sticky notes he had drawn on, completely unbeknownst to you and your entire staff. “What’s all of this?” He questioned, interested to hear your take on the drawings.
“Oh, that’s our art museum” You smiled. “Some unknown person has been leaving these drawings around the store for us to find.”
“Oh really?” Steve cocked his head to the side, fighting a smile.
“Yeah, it’s really fun. We all love it so much” You smiled. “It’s like finding hidden treasure, then when we find them we add them to the wall.”
“Do you have a favorite one?” He asked.
He watched your eyes scan them all over, before your pointed to one of the post-it’s. “That one, but they’re all amazing. I’m going to save them forever.”
His eyes followed your finger to the drawing he did last week of the outside of the bakery, and he could agree that it was one of his favorites too.
You could see the inside of the bakery through the windows on the front, and shining through the reflective glass was the big neon sign that read ‘Nice to be Kneaded’. There were many days where pulling into the parking lot of your cozy bakery filled him with immense comfort, and that drawing made him feel just the same way.
“I like this one” Steve pointed to the drawing he did two days ago of the back of a kid up on his tippy toes, peaking into the case full to the brim with treats.
“Awwwww that one is so cute!” You cooed.
Conversation strayed but Steve’s mind stayed fixed on the little drawings. Much like every other aspect of his life, he didn’t want to lie or keep secrets from you, but he did want to make it fun.
So, he started making it increasingly more obvious that it was him every day he spent in the bakery just to clue you in.
If you were baking cookies, he would draw the cookies.
You cleaned the glass of the bake case? Surprise. The next drawing would be of the case full of pastry with little sparkling shimmers on the glass to show it was completely finger print free.
Oh and that cake you were decorating right in front of his face? Yeah. That was tonight’s drawing.
He got every last detail, down to the different piping tips you used for the princess style, the tiny pearled beads you carefully placed at every joint and peak, and the writing on top in your beautiful handwriting that he honestly struggled to recreate.
Steve really thought this would be the one that pushed it over the edge and helped you put the pieces together, but when he walked in the next day, you said nothing about it.
Even when you looked at it and taped it up in its respective spot, you still didn’t solve the little riddles he was leaving you.
Well, that was true until about an hour later when you walked over to the computer to confirm order details on the cake you were about to start. Making sure you got all the flavors, colors, and theming right was very important to you.
He watched your eyes go from the computer screen, to the drawing you just attached to the wall, back to the computer, back to the drawing.
“Oh my gosh…” You caught his attention. “I just realized this is the cake I made yesterday!” You said happily.
“Wait… don’t you think that’s a little odd?” Steve asked, trying to push you along further into the clue.
“Why would it be?” You questioned.
“Well, if you decorated that cake last night when only you were here, then put it in the fridge for pick up early in the morning, how would the artist have even seen the cake?” Steve continued.
“Wait, you’re so right. That customer picked up at opening.” You agreed. “Oh gosh, and the day before that was a picture of the bake case, I just cleaned it the night before…”
“See, now that’s really odd.” He egged you on.
“Who the hell could this be?” You thought out loud. “Do I have a stalker.”
“Well let’s think rationally about this mystery guy. Can you think of anyone who would’ve seen you clean the bake case and decorate that cake?” Steve asked.
He watched you think for a second. “Other than us two I have no idea… You were here too. Did you see anything weird?”
“Not at all.” Steve couldn’t even hold in the laugh he was desperately trying to conceal. “So if it was just you and I…”
Before he could even finish his sentence, you remembered one very important detail about Steven.
He was an artist.
Steve could literally see the moment it clicked in your head, your face snapped into something between joy and annoyance. But you were smiling with big pink cheeks, so he really didn’t care.
“Steven!” You laughed joyfully, voice raising a few notches.
“What?!” He questioned gigging with you.
“Why didn’t you tell me it was you!” You screeched, reaching forward and very gently play hitting his arm.
“I was seeing how long it would take you to figure it out!”
“Meanie!”
“…and you said it was making you and all your employees happy!” Steve continued explaining. “Leaving drawings around the store to make you guys happy is the least I could do in exchange for how happy you and the bakery make me.”
You cheeks only deepened their blush as his explanation sunk into your mind and heart. “Honey, you already do so much for us and they don’t even know you’re here helping out. You’re appreciated by everyone regardless, and what you do here goes a long way.”
“Yeah, but, I really like making the drawings” he admitted shyly.
“We all love them too. Thanks for all you do for me, Steven.” You said sincerely.
“No, thank you.” He said humbly, his cheeks were blushed pink just like yours.
“Okay, now I just have to get these all in a picture frame…” Thought.
He laughed. “Stop it! They’re literally just post it notes!”
