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ashcal99 · 10 months

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Collarbones : Jasper Whitlock Hale V

Chapter Five

"I can see your collarbones and baby I'm scared, Never thought I'd be so unprepared"

Summary: Camila Johnson was only 16 when she was diagnosed with leukemia. By the time she had turned 17, the doctors had tried everything to save her. Her family is close to giving up hope when they hear of a doctor who may be able to help her. The only problem is, he lives on the opposite side of the country. The small family soon decides to move to the small town in Washington, in efforts to prolong her life. In doing so, her life changes forever.

Warnings: Eventual smut (18+ only), mentions of death, depression, violence, descriptions of disease and weight loss, general angst, slow burn, blink and you'll miss it mention of sex, mention of opioids

Words: 8.1k

A/N: Please lmk if you'd like to be added to the tag list. This one is super long, hope you enjoy x

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Previous Chapter

Series Masterlist

——————

January 31st, 2005

Camila sat there, frozen in shock, silent for what seemed like a century to Jasper. He found himself once again wishing that he had Edward’s power. To his delight, she didn’t look horrified, just shocked. But he wouldn’t push it this time, wouldn’t push her to speak before she was ready, because her whole future hung on this one moment. His whole future with her.

Finally, she spoke. “W-who makes the decision to change that future?” She asked, voice croaking on its way out. It was the only thing she could think to ask. Every other thought had become muddled in her mind.

Jasper blinked, looking down at their intertwined fingers. “You.” He said simply, pausing before he continued. It was only fair to give her the full warning of what this could mean. “It wouldn’t be the easy solution though. It’s excruciatingly painful, changing. You would loose everything you have now. Your parents, your friends, everyone would need to think that you had died.” He explained gravely, hanging his head in shame. Suddenly, he felt wrong having this conversation. Ashamed that he was even suggesting making her give up everything. It felt selfish, because, in truth, it was.

Surprising even herself, his explanation didn’t hurt. She had spent so long preparing herself to have to say goodbye, that maybe it would be worth it to start new. Either way, she would lose them and they would lose her. What scared her is what this would mean for her and the Cullens. She knew that Alice expected a friendship to form between them. More importantly, she knew that forever with Jasper didn’t seem bad in the slightest, maybe even nice. Maybe, just maybe, she would be able to act on her feelings for him after all. Maybe breaking that promise she had made to herself wouldn’t be so bad after all.

That thought stopped her in her tracks though. What if Jasper didn’t feel that same pull towards her that she felt towards him? The last thing that she wanted to do was be a burden on him. A burden that lasted for an eternity no less. “I’ll have to think on that.” She decided, gulping as the thought of making that enteral decision settled in the pit of her stomach.

“Of course. Take all the time you need.” Jasper said. He had expected as much. He couldn’t expect her to make that decision in that moment. She had only just found out that Vampires existed and now there he was, asking her what she wanted to do with eternity. As much as the suspense was killing him, he knew that he would be willing to wait as long as it would take for her to make that choice. The prize would be well worth the wait.

Camila shook her head, trying to push the overwhelming information from her mind if even for a moment. So much had been said in the last hour that she was beginning to have a migraine, the dull pain throbbing more and more by the second. “I’m going to go grab some water.” She croaked out, her throat suddenly feeling as dry as a desert. She reluctantly let her grip on his hand loosen as she pushed herself to the edge of the mattress. Willing her sore muscles to pull her to a stand, she took a few steps towards the door into the living room.

The room blurred for a moment, her mind going fuzzy with dizziness suddenly. Stars shot around her vision as her knees began to buckle. Before she had time to process what was happening, before she had time to try and catch herself from falling, ice cold hands were on her. One on her waist, keeping her upright. The other gently cupping the base of her head and the back of her neck, long fingers sprawled across the space, keeping her head steady.

“Woah.” She said blinking rapidly. She was almost certain that it wasn’t just the dizziness that had made him a blur of speed. “How did you get over here so quickly?” She asked, confusion clear on her face.

Sending her a soft smile, he answered. “It’s a vampire thing.” He said simply.

“Ohh.” She said, nodding in understanding. She guessed there was a lot more to understand than she had realized. The whole thing had happened so quickly, she was just now getting the time to process his touch. Blood rushed to her cheeks, and she hoped the embarrassment that she felt, she would be able to blame on the near fainting as well as the blush. “Sorry, I think I just stool up too quick.” She said, feeling as if the heat in her cheeks would never go away.

Jasper shook his head. “You don’t need to apologize.” He said, brushing his thumb along the exposed skin of her arm in what he hoped was a comforting manor. Dark bruises littered the pale skin, and found himself wishing, hoping that his fingerprints wouldn’t show up along with the others soon. He knew that with her sickness came bruising easily, but he dreaded the day that he would inevitably cause one of the purple splotches. “Why don’t you go and lay down? I’ll go get some water for you.” He offered, dropping his hold on her once he could see that she could hold her own weight once more.

Nodding, she lowered her gaze bashfully, slightly embarrassed that she couldn’t even do a simple task without narrowly avoiding an accident. “Thanks.” She muttered as she made her way back to the bed, lowering herself slowly onto the cool sheets.

Jasper made his way out of her bedroom, when, suddenly a burning tore through his throat. Realizing as he heard a car door shut outside, that her mother must have just arrived back from the store, he rushed forward to turn the lock and open the front door for her. A brief flash of shock crossed her face as she looked at the pale figure in the doorframe. “Jasper, lovely to see you again.” She greeted as a smile formed on her lips. “Didn’t know you were staying after driving Camila home.” She said.

He hurried forward, at a human speed of course, to help gather the plastic bags that were filled with food from the trunk. “Sorry, Ma’am, I don’t mean to intrude.” He apologized, not wanting to be a burden or make the woman uncomfortable from his presence.

Michelle shook her head, furrowing her eyebrows. “Of course not, you’re never anything but a perfect gentleman. Speaking of which, you really don’t need to help bring those in, Hon.” She said sweetly, going to grab the bags from his hands.

“Nonsense, it’t no bother at all.” He reassured, southern accent thick as he gathered the remaining bags. As he turned, seeing her shocked face, he realized that he may have been overzealous in trying to grab them all at once, halfway exposing his superhuman strength purely by accident. He hunched his shoulders slightly, trying to play off that they at least looked heavy, as he let out a light laugh. “Dad always said it should only take one trip.” He joked, trying to play it off.

She nodded slowly, letting out a soft laugh her self. “Guess so.” She said, grabbing her keys from her purse to lock the vehicle. “How is Carlisle? We have an appointment with him tomorrow.” She asked politely, trying to find conversation to fill the silence as the two made their way back into the home to the kitchen.

Dropping the bags carefully on the kitchen counter, he turned to her. “He’s good. Busy at the hospital, been taking extra shifts lately to help with a shortage of doctors.” He answered.

The woman smiled at his words. “He’s a miraculous man. I hope he’s not over working himself.” She said, slightly concerned. Jasper smiled at the inside joke, humming in response. Carlisle often had to force himself to go home when it was like this. Right before he had met Edward had been the worst timing for this. Hundreds were dying all around his from the Spanish Influenza and there he was, wishing that he could be working, helping twenty-four hours a day but knowing he couldn’t. No human could operate like that, and that’s how he needed to appear. Human.

One word in particular that she had said had stuck out, however. Miraculous. He hoped that she hadn’t meant the word in a literal way. He knew from conversations with Carlisle as well as with Camila that this is what they had been hoping for. A miracle. It hurt him to know that there would be none coming for them. Either decision the Camila would end up making, they would lose her. It was impossible to change that fact. Impossible to make the loss easier for them.

But, clearly a miracle was what they had been hoping for. Camila had told him what had happened when she had been diagnosed. The cancer had progressed too far for chemo to really have any chance of working, so they hadn’t done it. There was no point of putting her though all of that if it didn’t have a chance of working. That’s why they had moved to Forks. Not only for the cheaper cost of living, but in hopes that Carlisle could help. But Jasper knew better. He knew that Camila’s life would end soon, and there was nothing left to do to prevent it from happening.

Shaking himself from his thoughts, he cleared his throat before speaking. “I was getting Camila some water when I heard you get back from the store.” He said, trailing off towards the end.

She smiled, grateful to have him there, trying to take care of her baby for her. He clearly cared a great bit for her, and she only hoped that he wouldn’t grow too attached. “There’s some bottled water in the fridge.” She told him, moving to start unpacking the bags of groceries.

“Thanks.” He answered, moving to grab one of the bottles before heading back to Camila’s room. Closing the door softly behind him, he looked up from the creaking floorboards to find her fast asleep. He couldn’t stop the smile from growing on his lips as he peered at her sleeping form. There she was, as peaceful as could be, small puffs of air leaving her parted lips.

He couldn’t stop himself from staring as he lost himself in the view. Her cheekbones were prominent, her face clearly thinned from the illness. Darkness circled her eyes, leaving soft purple rings. She was absolutely beautiful, of course, but it was obvious to his advanced eyes that she was unwell. He wasn’t sure how he had missed it before, and he wandered, now, how she had looked before all of this. What she would look like if she changed. He shook his head, needing to stop before he got carried away.

Breaking himself from his trance, he pushed forward, setting the perspiring water bottle on her makeshift nightstand of cardboard boxes. He turned, reaching to grasp the edge of her blanket before draping it softly along her thin frame, watching closely as she shifted slightly under the fluffy fabric. He turned back towards the door, deciding that he should leave, seeing as she clearly needed the rest.

“Jasper?” A soft voice broke him from his thoughts. His head shot back, looking towards the direction in which the croaky voice sounded from. Camila remained in the same spot, eye squinted as she looked at his frame from her place on the bed. “Please don’t leave.” She said, so soft that he wasn’t sure if he would’ve heard it without his advanced hearing. How could he say no to her?

He knew he couldn’t, as if he wanted to in the first place, so he just nodded his head and walked straight back to her. He eased his way under the covers, leaning slightly on the wall behind the head of the mattress, half sitting, half laying down, not wanting to ease too far into the situation, not wanting to make her uncomfortable. She sighed in content, laying her head softly on his arm, and hummed a small ‘thanks’.

Pretty much immediately, she was back to sleeping. He could hear her heart rate had slowed to a steady pace, breathing mellowing back out as she sunk deeper into her sleep. The rhythm was comforting to him. Despite being in the next room, his throat still burned from the scent of her mother, and luckily for him, Camila was a nice distraction from this.

It probably wasn’t the best idea to be there alone in the first place, no one there to stop him if something bad happened. It had been one thing when him and Camila had been alone, that much he could trust himself with. Now though, Michelle was home and her blood was calling out to him. It was just a matter of time before her father arrived home from work, and then the burning would only intensify. But she was worth it. He could never say no to her. He would never be able to say no to her.

So, he remained there, unmoving for more minutes than he could count, not wanting to wake her, as she shifted slightly, moving further onto him as she rested her head comfortably on his chest. If his heart still beat it would’ve been erratic.

Without meaning to, they had had more physical contact in the past twelve hours that they had ever before. He knew he should stop himself, knowing that he should keep the barriers between them strong. Not wanting to accidentally hurt her, but he couldn’t help himself as he wrapped his arm securely around her frame. He couldn’t help but embrace her as she did the same to him, even if she wasn’t fully aware of it.

He could feel his feelings for her grow by the second, vaguely aware that they were teetering on the edge of love. He knew it was ridiculous, having only known her for such a short amount of time, but he couldn’t help it. Others in his family had explained the feeling to him before, so he was aware of the fact that it all moved much quicker for his kind. Vampire’s mated for life, and if he felt like this with her already, if Alice had truly seen them together, in love, in the future, he knew he was completely and utterly fucked. He knew, in that moment, that if she did chose to die, to let her illness take her away from him, he was done for.

——————

February 1st, 2005

Camila’s second appointment had been scheduled for directly after she finished with school, and she was grateful that she wouldn’t miss her daily calculous class with Jasper. She had come to enjoy the short forty-five minute class, having the excuse to see him everyday. On top of this, she had spent yet another lunch break at the Cullen table, by the request of not only Jasper, but Alice as well.

After her conversation with Tyler the day previous, she had been more than happy to take them up on their offer. Tyler had deliberately avoided her between classes that day, and if it was either him being jealous or him just avoiding her all together because of her outburst, she didn’t care.

She just couldn’t bring herself to give a fuck anymore. Did she really need friends that shit on other people like he had done to Jasper anyway? Okay, so maybe he hadn’t completely shit on him, but he had been rude, and tried to pass it off as caring for her. Fuck that. If he wanted to remain friends, then he could apologize. Her relationship with Jasper, whatever that relationship entailed, wasn’t going to change on account of the Tyler’s ‘concern’.

So she had graciously excepted their invite at lunch, and luckily for her, Edward had been absent from the table, having chosen to sit at another with the company of Bella Swan. Camila chose not question his antics, not even in her head, as she knew that he would be able to hear her thoughts, but she couldn’t help of think of Jasper’s words. Either way it would end badly. The words sent an uncomfortable chill down her spine, but she would ignore it. It wasn’t anymore her business than her and Jasper were Tyler’s.

Her and Jasper. The new information he had given her had been cycling through her mind ever since. A chance at forever with him. It scared her. She knew how she felt towards him, and she knew that those feelings were only growing stronger, and if she was being honest with herself, they scared her. Scared her that he wouldn’t feel the same way for her. In truth, she didn't know what to do. Her only hope was to wait and see how things would pan out. To hope for the best.

After a long day of school work and overthinking everything Jasper had told her, by the time her appointment with Carlisle had rolled around, her head was throbbing. She wasn’t sure what she was hoping for him to say as they sat there in the waiting room with her parents. Wasn’t sure what she was hoping for him to do once he had seen the results of her latest run of tests, but what she did know was what she hoped he wouldn’t say. She hoped that he wouldn’t suggest anything expensive.

It was clear that her parents held too much hope in him. Too much hope that he could fix what was wrong with her, but she knew better. She knew that she would die soon. She had known that since the day she had been diagnosed. It had been a gut wrenching feeling that she couldn’t shake, despite being told that there was a chance that she could get better. She knew better than to believe it, than to hope. Jasper’s words had only confirmed that for her.

So she did hope, with every fiber of her being that he would do what was best and not dig them an even deeper financial hole than they had already dug themselves. Of course, once he had sat them in his office, tried to make small talk, attempting to soften the blow of the bad news, he had confirmed what she had already known. The tests had all come back unanimously. “Three to five months.” he said, face grave as he delivered the information.

Her father drooped in his seat, defeated, but determined not to cry. To hold himself together for his wife and daughter. Her mother almost immediately shook with silent sobs, small squeaks leaving her lips as she attempted to breath through the tears. Camila, however, remained unmoving in her seat, face blank of emotion. She had expected as much. Maybe a bit more time, but not by a lot. So she had a little bit less time to make her decision, so be it. Oh well, better not to drag it out anyway, right?

Maybe it made her seem heartless, but really, she was just tired. Tired of trying to be sad about her life ending. There was only so long you could be upset, knowing it would end soon anyway, and she had already been given enough time for that. The months following her diagnosis had been bad enough as it was. Loosing her friends. Loosing her boyfriend who she had thought loved her. She had already been pushed to that breaking point, so to hear that her pain and suffering would end soon, one way or another, was not the worst news she could hear. What pained her was her parent’s reactions, and she knew that they were both trying the best they could to not upset her more, so she tried her best to ignore that pain.

She had always hoped that maybe they would try for another kid once she was gone. They had both been so young when she was born, so it was entirely possible. She knew the past year had been torturous for them too, but in an entirely different way. So, was it that bad for her to be thankful that they would be able to start their healing even easier than she had hoped for? To maybe start new? She didn’t think so.

Carlisle had been solemn as he continued delivering the news to them. The news that there were no treatments that would help her at that stage. The news that the meds she had been taking had not been working to slow the progression of the cancer like they had hoped. The news that her liver was beginning to show signs of deterioration. The news that their daughter’s body just wasn’t sustaining her life the way that it should.

“The best thing to do in this situation is to try and make her as comfortable as possible.” He said, face laced with sadness. “We can up her pain meds. This should not only help with the pain, but also the shortness of breath that you’ve been reporting.” He said, addressing the last part to Camila as he gave her a soft, sympathetic smile. They no longer had to worry about the risk of addiction, only to ease her discomfort. And when the time came, that she was on her last branch of life, they would move her to hospice and start administering morphine on a regular basis. And then she would be gone. Easy enough she supposed. Definitely a cheeper route than chemo or radiation therapy, so she couldn’t complain.

The car ride home had been silent. She didn’t know what to say and clearly neither did her parents. The pain was palpable in the atmosphere, so much so that she was glad when they arrived home. Glad to be able to be alone in her room. Give them the space they needed to feel all that they needed to feel without having to try and be strong for her benefit.

So, that’s what they did. They felt. She could hear her mother’s sobs through the thin walls of the home. Hear her father trying to comfort her to no avail, and eventually hear his quiet sobs as well. Sleep had not come easy that night, so abnormally, she had been awake when the light tapping started tat her window.

She had thought she had been imagining things at first, maybe hallucinating from the lack of sleep in the past day, but then it came again. Tap tap tap. Slowly, she rolled out of the covers of her bed, inching her way towards the window, where she ripped open the thin curtain. Her body jolted as a small squeal left her lips, clutching at her chest for dear life. “Jesus. You’re going to give me heart attack one of these days.” She complained, unlatching the lock on the creaky frame of the window. Using all of her strength to pry it open, she stepped back aways to let Jasper climb through into her bedroom.

“What did I tell you, Darlin’? The name is Jasper. You should know this by now.” He teased, smirk deepening his dimples as she rolled her eyes at him. “Carlisle told me how it went today at the hospital, hope you don’t mind him breaking HIPAA and all.” He said, the smirk dropping from his face as he raising his hand to brush a stray piece of hair from her face, resting a comforting palm on her cheek after.

She blinked, not having it in herself to even try and stop her racing heart. “I would’ve ended up telling you anyway.” She answered, not looking away from his amber eyes.

“I know.” He muttered. “Come here.” He said, pulling her gently into his chest. He knew what she needed. Despite her hard exterior, her emotionless reaction that Carlisle had informed him of, he could feel her emotional pain. What caused it, knowing how soon she would die, knowing that there really was nothing to cure her, or seeing her parents in pain, he didn’t know. Either way, she needed the comfort, and that he could give her.

She buried her face in the fabric of his hoodie, letting tears that she didn’t even know she had flow free. She didn’t know exactly what she was crying about, not caring enough to try and figure it out. She only knew that he was holding her, and that was enough. So that night he stayed. Stayed until the early hours of the morning when she awoke to dress for school. Stayed and held her in his arms as her tears left stains in the fabric of his clothes. Stayed as she clenched that very same fabric in her fists, refusing to let go as sleep finally overcame her.

Sure, the burning in his throat was twice as bad, because he had missed his hunting and two more humans were sleeping just down the hallway, veins pumping full of sweet smelling, temping blood. But in that moment he didn’t care. He would endure anything for this girl and he knew it.

——————

February 3rd, 2005

The next few days had gone by slowly. Her parents had yet to bring up what had happened at the hospital. Whether that was because they couldn’t handle it, or because they thought it would upset her, she didn't know, but she was happy to avoid the conversation. The drive to school had been as if the whole ordeal hadn’t happened. Like she hadn’t listened in as her parents sobbed themselves to sleep. Like she couldn’t see the red puffy eyes of her mother’s that were left there as evidence.

Her mother had smiled her best smile and tried to make conversation. “So, you and Jasper seem to be hanging out quite a bit.” She commented, causing a blush to creep up to Camila’s cheeks. Camila hummed in response, trying her best to hide the redness in her face as she looked out of the window, suddenly very interested in the trees blurring past. Seeing that she wasn’t going to verbally reply, she continued. “I like him. He’s very polite… and cute.” She said, wiggling her eyebrows her eyebrows as she nudged her daughter’s shoulder.

Camila let out an exaggerated groan, running her hands over her warm face. “Mom, please.” She begged.

Michelle gasped dramatically. “What? I’m just making conversation.” She said teasingly.

“Please, anything but this topic.” Camila complained, the words muffled by her hands that remained in front on her face, trying to block her mother’s view of the red tinted cheeks.

“Ohhh…” Michele sighed out. “You like him, don’t you?” She asked. She already knew the answer of course. It was obvious, if only to her. She knew her daughter and she could tell how she felt towards the boy.

Camila sighed in relief as she dropped her hands, Forks High School coming into view. She gathered her things in her lap as the car came to a stop, turning to address her mother once more. “Bye, Mom. I love you.” She said pointedly, earning a chuckle from the woman as she opened the door.

She made her way inside the building, and as soon as her boot clad feet touched the smooth tile of the hallways, an arm slung around her shoulder. Her body immediately tensed, feeling the warmth coming from the touch. She looked up to see his face, Tyler Crowley. “Hey.” He said, nonchalantly.

She raised an eyebrow at him expectantly. Surely, that wasn’t how he was going to start the conversation, right? He couldn’t be serious, surely not. He grimaced, seeing her slight glare. “About the other day…” He said, scratching at the back of his neck awkwardly. Camila gestured with her hand, urging him to go on. What was he five? Did he seriously need someone to hold his hand while he was apologizing?

He cleared his throat. “I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’m sorry. I shouldn’t butt in to your business.” He said, seemingly gritting his teeth as he forced the words out.

Camila nodded her head slowly, pulling herself out from his uncomfortable embrace. “You’re right, you shouldn’t.” She said simply. “That being said, don’t do it again, okay?” She asked.

He nodded, giving her a tight lipped smile, as he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jacket. “Promise.” He said, giving her a tight lipped smile.

Camila nodded her head curtly. “Good.” She said, and that was the end of that. Despite his apology, she didn’t exactly want to be around him in that moment. So, she had opted instead to talk sit next to Angela during class. Camila hadn’t gotten the time to talk to the girl much that week, much to her dismay, but luckily, her history class didn’t have assigned seats, so she took the opportunity and ran with it.

“Hey.” She called out, setting her things down on the desk as she pulled out the chair next to the girl.

Angela looked up, seemingly startled by the sudden attention. “Hi, Camila.” She said, sending her a bright smile. “I haven’t seen you around much, how have you been?” She asked sweetly.

“Just busy with being at a new school and all. How about you?” Camila asked politely, giving her a kind smile. Angela had always been nothing but sweet to her, seemingly a genuinely nice person.

Angela beamed in response. “Oh you know, crazy busy too. The school paper and twin brothers keep life interesting.” She said, giggling fondly at the thought of the two toddlers. Her smile remained as she leaned over slightly, dropping her voice to a whisper. “You seem to be busy with Jasper Hale more than anything.” She teased.

God, how many people were going to bring him up? Was she that obvious? Was it that clear to everyone how she felt for him? She hoped not. “Shut up.” She said, nudging Angela’s shoulder with her own, not even attempting to hide the blush that had found its way back on her face.

“Oh come on.” Angela said, smile still shining bright. “You’ve got to see the way he looks at you.” She said.

The words had sent Camila’s heart into overdrive. “Looks at me how?” She said, eyebrows furrowing as she looked down to her hands, spinning the rings that hung loosely off of her fingers.

Angela scoffed playfully. “Like you’re the only person in the room.” She said simply. Camila’s heart clattered against her ribcage. He didn't do that, surely not. Did he? “Has he asked you to prom yet?” She asked expectantly.

Shaking her head no, Angela looked disappointed. “Has anyone asked you yet?” Camila asked, trying to change the subject away from her and Jasper.

“I keep thinking Eric’s going to ask me, then he just... doesn’t.” She said, letting out a disappointed sigh.

Camila perked up in her seat. “You should ask him.” She suggested. Angela’s eyes shot to her, a skeptical look plastered onto her face. “Take control. You’re a strong independent woman.” She reassured.

“Bella said the same thing.” Angela answered, dropping her eyes down, suddenly very interested in her chipping nail polish.

“See?” Camila asked brightly. “So you know it has to be true then.” She said finitely. Angela gave a soft, teetering smile and nodded.

The remainder of the class they spent taking turns reading through sections of their history book together, jotting down notes as they went. Once they were done with this, they moved on to their homework, finishing that fairly quickly as well. Angela was a good work partner. She took things seriously enough to get done with things fast, but also wasn’t too serious that she couldn’t hold basic conversation.

By the end of the class, Camila had promised to accompany her and Jessica with dress shopping for the prom next week. She wasn’t sure how she had been coerced into it, but knew it had something to do with her lack of ability to tell her no. She was just too nice, it was hard to reject the offer. As much as she was not looking forward to spending time with Jessica, Angela made up for it.

Like the day previous, she had opted to join Jasper at lunch. She was beginning to grow accustomed to the stares. They had to lose interest at some point, right? Surely the whole ordeal couldn’t be that interesting to them. Yeah, maybe they were attracting more today because Jasper currently had his arm slung around her shoulder, but that didn’t really give them the right to ogle. Sure, this time his arm was actually around her and not just the chair, but it was comforting. It helped ground her thoughts that had been racing all day and the coolness felt nice against her feverish skin.

Edward, again was absent from the table, having joined Bella once again at a table of their own. A fact she was grateful for as she didn’t want him to be able to read her thoughts in that moment. Her thoughts that were swirling with Jasper. It was embarrassing if she was being honest. She couldn’t seem to get him out of her mind, and she wasn’t exactly keen on the idea of admitting to herself why that was.

Alice perked up suddenly in her seat, turning to address the girl next to her. “Camila, I almost forgot. They’re doing blood typing in biology class today. Carlisle said you should skip out on it since you bleed a lot easier than most.” She explained, giving her a bright smile. She turned her gaze to Jasper momentarily, raising her eyebrows. “Jasper can drive you home if you’d like, right Jazz?” She asked expectantly.

Jasper rolled his eyes playfully at his sister. “I’d be happy to.” He said, smiling down at Camila.

A low snicker sounded from across the table. “Yeah, you’d be happy to.” Emmett muttered. A loud thwack sounded from under the table, followed by a groan of pain. “Okay, okay. No more teasing, Jasper. I got it.” He said, leaning down to hold his leg as he glared at the golden haired immortal.

Camila couldn’t stop herself from laughing at the whole ordeal. In fact, she often found herself not able to hold back her laughter with the group of vampires. She was comfortable with them, able to be much more open than she ever had before. She had nothing to hide with them. It was exhilarating, being able to be herself.

A shrill bell rung out across the crowded room, signaling the end of their lunch hour. Jasper reluctantly removed his arm from her shoulders, pulling himself to a stand and opting instead to offer his hand to the girl. She excepted the invitation, letting him help pull her to her feet as she slung her backpack onto her free arm. He did the same, grabbing both of their mostly untouched trays of food, and dumping them in the trash bin on their way out of the cafeteria.

Hand holding had become a normal thing for them over the past few days, always finding themselves in need of some form of physical contact from each other. Camila chose not to read too far into this, not wanting to become expectant of what his feelings for her were. So, they walked hand in hand, making sure nobody watched as the divided from the crowd to exit through the front doors and into the parking lot. A plus to attending such a small school compared to the last high school she had gone to, not as many adults to notice when a couple of students slipped out for the remainder of the day.

The drive to her home was a short and silent one, both teens opting to bask in the comfortable silence as he drove, winding down the woodsy roads. Once they arrived, he pulled up to the curb, putting the car in park as he turned to her. “Do you want me to walk you in?” He asked, the corners of his mouth pulling up slightly.

Camila’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “You’re not coming in?” She asked, shoulders drooping in disappointment. She had grown so accustomed to spending time with the amber eyed teen that she hadn’t even questioned it, assuming he would spend time with her in her room like they had repeatedly in the past week.

He shook his head lightly. “I’m sorry, Darlin’. Your mother’s home, and I haven’t hunted for a while…” He said trailing off, ashamed of his confession.

Camila smiled to him, leaning forward to plant a quick peck to his cheek, shocking even herself as she did so. Her lips tingled from the touch as she pulled back, offering a small smile. “It’s okay, Jazz. Promise.” She assured him, gathering her things as she moved to exit the car.

“I can come by later tonight if you want, after I fix my whole… situation.” He said, catching her attention once more.

She turned back to him. “Only if you want to.” She said.

He grinned brightly at her. “I’ll always want to, Darlin’.” He said, smile not leaving his face as he watched her turn away and head towards the house. He sat there, unmoving as he made sure she made it safely inside. Waiting until she was out of view before he raised his hand to his cheek, feeling where she had left her kiss. Feeling the phantom burn of her warm plump lips on his icy skin.

——————

Jasper had come through with his promise that night, of course. This time the tapping on her window had sent her heart racing for a completely different reason altogether. Like always, as soon as she had laid her eyes on his face, all the stress from her day had lifted from her shoulders. If she didn’t know any better, she would’ve thought that he had been using his powers on her, but no. That was just the effect that he had on her.

Oddly enough, even though it was nearly midnight, she wasn’t tired. She had taken some of her pain meds once she had gotten home from school and had almost immediately knocked out. So there she was, wide awake, Jasper by her side, hand in hand as what had become their usual.

“How was hunting?” She asked, looking up to see that his eyes had returned to their normal golden color.

He smiled to her. “Good, got a grizzly.” He said casually, causing her eyes to widen in shock.

“Like, a grizzly bear?” She asked incredulously. He nodded, laughing lightly at her shock. “Guess you weren’t lying about vampires being crazy strong.” She muttered.

“You should see Emmet. Grizzlies are his favorite.” He said, laughing like it was some kind of inside joke.

Camila took the bait. “How come?” She asked, urged on by pure curiosity.

Jasper paused for a moment, trying to think of the best way to tell the story. “Probably has to do with the fact that a bear is why he was changed.” He started, watching her face intently as he continued. “He had been mauled by one in 1935, when he was still human. Rosalie had been the one to find him and bring him to Carlisle. They’ve been together ever since.” He finished.

Camila stared up at him in awe. “That’s actually really cute.” She admitted. “Not the whole almost dying thing, but him and Rosalie.” She corrected herself. “Was that how it was with everyone else. Were they dying too?” She asked, curiously.

Jasper hummed. “Some of us. Carlisle is the oldest, he was changed in 1663. His father had been a pastor, leading hunts for vampires. Carlisle ended up taking over for him at some point, and of course, unlike his father, he was intelligent enough to find a real coven. In the chaos of it all, he ended up getting bitten and left there, bleeding in the middle of the street. He hid in a cellar for the transformation and had tried killing himself at first.” He paused, hearing the soft gasp that left her lips. “We’re pretty indestructible though, he didn’t want to be a monster. Didn’t want to feed off of humans. That’s when he figured out that our kind could survive off of animal blood.” He ended.

Camila sat there in awe of the story. “Woah.” She muttered, eyes still wide. “Talk about superhuman self control.” She said, astounded. “Who was next?” She asked, not being able to put an end to her curiosity.

He smiled at her, glad to see that the whole story was interesting to her, and hoping that it might also in some ways help prepare her for what was to come. “Then, was me, although it would be almost eighty-five years before I met Carlisle.” He said, pausing as he let her recall his story. “Then was Edward.” He continued. “He had been dying of Spanish influenza in 1918 in Chicago. He was being treated in the hospital where Carlisle was working at the time. His mother had been sick also. She had begged Carlisle as she died for him to save her son. So, when nobody was looking, he took Edward home, and changed him. Gave him a second chance at life.” He explained.

He sat there for a moment in silence, seeing pure interest and awe written on her face. “Then was Alice.” He continued. “She’s a big mystery. She has no memory of her human life. No idea how she was changed. She was alone for about twenty-eight years until she found me and brought me along with her to live with Carlisle in 1948.” He explained. He had of course briefly explained this part already, so he moved on to the next.

“Then was Esme.” He continued. “She had met Carlisle briefly when she was sixteen when she had fallen out of a tree and broken her leg. He moved soon after, but he found her again about ten years later. She had been married to a man who abused her and had a child with him. The baby ended up dying only a few days later, it was a lot more common back then. She had been distraught as you can imagine and tried jumping off of a cliff. They thought she was dead when they brought her into the morgue, but Carlisle could hear that her heart was still beating. They got married a few years after she changed.” He finished.

Camila sat there for a moment, soaking in the stories that had just been told. It was all so fascinating, she couldn’t help but feel astonished. She had, of course, already known that Carlisle was an astonishing person, but now everything had been upped by ten. He had selflessly given so many people a new life. Given them a second chance. It all made sense. That’s why she had been given the option. Unlike his family, she had been given the time to make the choice for herself. Given the opportunity at that second chance. One that she definitely wouldn’t be taking for granted.

“What about Rosalie?” She asked, suddenly realizing that he had left her story out.

He stayed silent for a moment, contemplating what he should tell her. It felt wrong, telling her story, with how intimate and private it had always seemed. With how hard Rosalie had taken the change compared to everyone else. “She was changed in 1933. Carlisle had found her bleeding out in the street… It’s really not my story to tell. Her ending was particularly brutal.” He said, trailing off as he remembered her pain as she had told him the story. “I’m sure she’ll tell you one day.” He assured her.

She nodded understandingly. “If I do make the decision to change, then I would be a part of your family too?” She asked, somewhat timid of the topic. It scared her in all honesty. What if they ended up hating her? She didn’t want them to end up resenting her for her choice. She didn’t want to feel like a burden on them. To feel like she was an outsider. Like she didn’t belong.

Jasper stayed silent for a moment before he answered, feeling her worry and fear, wanting to make sure he used the correct words. “Yes, you would, but we would understand if you wanted to leave. We wouldn’t want you to feel trapped.” He explained, voice soft.

Camila shook her head at his words, brows creasing as she looked deep into his eyes. “It’s not that.” She assured him. “I mean, they barely know me…” She hesitated. “What if they don’t like me? You all have been a family for so long, I don’t want to get in the middle of that.” She said, the corners of her mouth turning downward as she admitted her fears.

“Camila.” He said softly, cupping his hand gently on the back of her neck, letting his thumb brush her cheek lightly. “They’re all going to love you.” He whispered. It pained him to hear her so unsure of herself. He may have been biased, but he couldn’t imagine a person hating her for the life of him.

“How do you know that though?” She asked, resisting the urge to lean into his touch for comfort as her heart hammered in her chest.

“Well, two things.” He started, beginning to get lost in the emeralds of her eyes. Feeling as if they had been pulling him in, refusing to let him go. “Alice has seen it, and I’m fairly certain that it would be impossible to not love you.” He said, voice barely audible as he finished. For a moment he wasn’t sure if she had heard him, and if he was honest, he wasn’t completely sure if he wanted her too.

Although it wasn’t exactly an admission, it felt like the biggest one of them all. The implication that he was falling for her. Because that’s what it was, love, he knew it. Sure, it felt ridiculous, only having known her for such little time, but didn’t stop his cold un-beating heart from feeling that way for her. There was no logic, no understanding. It just was, and if it wasn’t love yet, he knew that it would develop into love. There was no doubt in his mind.

Thoughts swirled in her head as she processed his words. He hadn’t exactly admitted anything to her, but that didn’t stop her heart from reacting like he had. She stared into his eyes for a moment more, before, without even realizing it, she began to lean into his touch, their faces inching closer and closer by the second. He was leaning in as well, she realized, drawn in towards each other like magnets.

He watched as her eyes fluttered closed, forcing himself to freeze as their noses brushed, his eyes clenching shut with the effort to restrain himself. “Jasper.” She whispered, warm breath fanning his lips as she tried to regulate her breathing.

His eyes remained closed as he rested his forehead to hers, feeling the warmth in her touch. Trying to find the strength to pull away. “I don’t want to hurt you.” He whispered.

“Please don’t make me beg.” She answered, voice soft and thick with emotion.

And that was it. He knew he wouldn’t have it in himself to say no, and as the words left her lips, he gave in. Gave in to the temptation and closed the gap between them as he crashed his lips to hers, trying with every ounce of his body to be gentle as he sunk into her. Her lips burned into his, feeling as if they would leave a mark that would never heal over.

The feeling was like nothing she had ever felt before. Sure she had kissed before, she had even had sex before. But this, kissing Jasper, felt like the most intimate thing she had ever been a part of. Their lips moving softly together, in sync like they had been made for each other. And maybe they had, because it sure as hell felt like that.

Next Chapter

Tag List:

@jasper-the-beloved @parkchaeyoung1997 @bobaopal @izzyisstuff @itsmytimetoodream @soyeonrai @just-browsing101 @demirunner @dkbj14 @iloveramensm @imyelenasexual @bella7866 @ropickle @may-and-lay @breezybeesposts @emily-a13 @mamajaxx2511 @meyrryme @bertholdtswife @swagcopangeloop @idonotcareaboutyouropinion @honey132 @sakurayuki8655-blog @braveangel777 @illogic-ally @obsessed-with-pychopaths @natsvenom @iamveryholyiswear @too-many-fandoms-tbh @loser-syrus @madeofeverythingjuice @b-tchymoon @steh-lar-uh-nuhs @sabage101 @simon-e-mallory

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ashes-writing · 2 years

Text

born to be my baby | stranger things ; s.harrington

tag list babes || req rules / fandoms+characters ; open asks|| send reqs || masterlist

CHAPTERS ;

For now, this one is it. The Stranger Things masterlist is here.

AUTHORS NOTES;

Le sigh. It's only fitting I name this after a Bon Jovi song, right? Anyway... This is the result of me, envisioning a reader who is like this outrageous hybrid of madonna vibes / jersey girl vibes / 80's glam rock groupie vibes + a v. feisty persona -aka the storm to Steve's ever-present calm. So yeah. I am lowkey tempted to follow the season with the events that happen but Idk just yet..

SUMMARY;

--You were born to be my baby And baby, I was made to be your man ... and sooner or later, it'll get there.

PAIRING;

Steve Harrington x Fem!reader (beyond outfits, huge 80's teased hair and huge personality / loudness as well as female organs, reader is kept vague as I can manage. reader inserts are kind of a learning curve.)

WARNINGS;

swearing, pining -lots of, huuuge bouts of internalization from both parties, reader is a smartass and a flirt, eventual filth maybe, maybe some angst in the future, who knows. I'm uh... kind of winging it as of right now. If this one is a hit, I'll sit down and plan more.

TAGLIST;

@allelitesmut

@aurumbelis

@aries-arcade

@cole22ann

@ebonybloom

@hcloangcls

@heyaitsklaudia

@hoeshii

@hotgirlsshareaccounts

@icequeen1371

@krys-orion

@letsbedragonstogether

@louderfortheback

@musichealsscars

@oflavenderandevie

@suits-and-smirks

@secretsicanthideanymore

@scoobiessnacks

@thechoiceslookgrimm

@untitledarea are the only ones present on my taglist. if you'd like to be added, please click the link above.

OTHER STUFF;

set in S3 and may or may not follow canon events with changes (no deaths because fuck writing deaths unless absolutely necessary) , idk yet. If you guys want me to throw her into the glorious shit show that is the Upside Down, i can uh.. I'll try? Otherwise, this one might end up being a mere slice of life thing like the rest, just like if you're interested in throwing reader into the insanity please lmk, Ig? Side note, reader is 18 and has cut ties with her family, so this is also a kind of 'found family' fic of sorts. She has her own place / spends her own money, etc. Similar to Steve, in a way?

You’re roaming Starcourt Mall with two hours until you have to clock in to work your makeup counter for the afternoon. You’ve just stepped out of a lingerie store when you happen to glance across, into Scoops Ahoy.

Carol Perkins is laughing nearby, nodding to the parlor. “The mighty have really fallen, huh?” she muses with a smug grin. Nicole nudges her and whispers something into her ear and the next thing you know, they’re both looking at you.

“I love those earrings.” Carol’s staring at your favorite pair of earrings. They’re these obnoxiously big leopard print hoops. And while you love them more than life itself, you’re almost ninety five percent certain that true to form, Carol’s compliment is an underhanded one, because she’s always been a bitch towards you.

“Oh my god, how’d you get your hair to do that?” Nicole nods to the way you have your hair teased and curled. You want to laugh, you want to speak up and say the name they called you until you were crying all through school until you finally moved away, but you don’t.

“Earrings came from a jewelry store in Atlantic City.” you answer, popping a bubble with your gum and then you shrug, “My hair is an entity all it’s own.”

“It’s pretty.” Nicole gives you one of her typical plastic fake grins and you almost want to laugh, but you don’t. It’s tempting but you’re not the girl you used to be and now, looking at the two of them only a few months after high school, you’re pretty sure you’ve done more with your life in just a few months than they’ll ever manage in the entirety of their lives. And it’s not bragging, it’s not egotistical, it’s fact. They have that narrow-minded and extremely stunted mentality about them still. And it’s just low hanging fruit for you, so why bother?

“She looks like one of those models. I mean, a less expensive version, but pretty.” Carol and her underhanded compliments. You laugh, gazing at her intently. “You’re okay for a frumpy midwestern housewife.” you say it with a shrug, hints of an apologetic smile. Nevermind the fact you know damn well she's 18 or 19, you just couldn't resist. All her taunts about your nose or your teeth or your body back in high school. You feel just a little bad about doing it, but you justify the comment as you being on the defensive, after all. She did just give you an underhanded compliment.

“I’m 19.” Carol looks panicked in this moment.

“You look 35. Sorry.” you cringe a little and you’re the one with the smug look when your jab settles over her. “Look, I’ve gotta get going. It was a nice chat though?” you smile, walking across the corridor of the mall backwards so that you’re facing them, your best honeyed smile playing at dark red lips. You turn with your back to them and roll your eyes, raising a hand to your throat and Robin Buckley, one of your old best friends sees you and laughs.

“Your friends are annoying you?” Robin asks as her laughter dies away.

“They’re not my friends, actually.” you give her a hurt look. “Do you not remember me, Robbie?”

She’s gaping and then laughing and then the two of you are hugging in the middle of the ice cream parlor. “Oh my god, ___? Wow.” Robin pulls away from the hug to look at you. You shake your head and laugh, “No, nope.. You, Robbie… Whew?” you fan yourself a little.

“Not even.” Robin shakes her head.

Steve Harrington steps out of the back with a vat of ice cream to go into the freezer and he locks eyes with you.

“Steve.”

“Yeah?”

“Are you gonna put the ice cream in the freezer or stand there all day?” Robin asks the question and rolls her eyes, nodding to him as she whispers quietly, “His father got him the job. I’m waiting on the day he quits.”

You’re distracted though, watching the way strands of hair fall down onto his forehead as he leans over the open back of the freezer to place in the new vat. Robin looks from him to you and she palms her forehead. “Some things never change.” she’s giving you that gentle and teasing laugh when she says it. You shrug. “Please. I grew out of the crush.” and yet, as the words leave your mouth, you’re at least fifty percent sure they’re a lie.

Robin knows it too and true to form, she calls you out on it. “Bullcrap. Total bullcrap. You’ve got that dopey look on your face right now. Lie to somebody who didn’t grow up two trailers down from you, ___.”

You pout. “I’m not lying!” you insist, laughing. “I’m not, okay?”

“When did you get back?” she asks after a few seconds.

You were staring at him again so you’re quick to tear your eyes off. Laughing softly as you twirl a strand of hair around your finger. “Around the end of May. I’ve just been busy settling in. I got my own place!” you’re grinning and clapping your hands.

“Wait..”

“I moved back by myself.” you smile, shrugging. “Graduated a year early. I mean, it didn’t matter, my parents weren’t around either way. I just wanted to hurry up and finally be on my own.” you laugh softly and Robin seems to relax just a little. “How is it, having your own place?”

You laugh. “It’s awesome.”

But it’s lonely too. To be fair, you’re not exactly a stranger to loneliness. Once you were old enough to do basic things for yourself, your parents were always in and out, never around. They didn’t care before but once you were able to fend for yourself, they cared even less.

“You’ve gotta come over sometime! It’ll be fun. I mean I’m in the midst of painting and stuff, but yeah.” you’re all smiles. Robin laughs and nods, raising a hand to tug at her hair. “Where is it?”

“Oh, you know that bar downtown? The owner is making the top two stories of the building into studio apartments.”

“The bar the cops are always at?” Robin looks concerned and you nod. “Yeah, I never go in through the bar. I go up the stairs in the back entrance.” you laugh again. “It’s not that bad, don’t freak out. I’m a big girl now. I carry that switchblade I always used to carry and I know how to fight, I mean.. C’mon.”

“I’ll have to come by.” Robin smiles, laughing at your excitement. She doesn’t blame you, honestly, and she’s really happy for you. More than anything, she’s happy you came back to Hawkins because you were one of her few friends.

“Ugh, we can have so many sleepovers!” you’re laughing, smiling bright at the thought.

Steve clears his throat, motioning Robin over.

“Who is she?” Steve nods to you. Staring hard. “She looks familiar.”

“Because she went to Hawkins High until 83. Then her family moved her to New Jersey.”

Steve’s still staring. Robin grumbles and shakes her head, laughing to herself. “She’s not your type. Trust me, Steve. Stick to your type.”

“You barely know me, Robin. How do you know who my type is?” Steve questions, gazing at her intently for a second or two before his eyes flit back to you and settle again. Robin’s not wrong, you’re not his type, but.. His type only hurts him. If they’re not hurting him, they’re only interested in whatever he has to offer them. And if it’s neither of those things, they’re only interested in sex without any attachments. And he’s slowly come to realize that he wants love. He wants something serious, he wants to feel stability just once in his life.

And the second he realized what he wanted, he stopped settling. He hasn’t been on a date in months at this point. And he tries to maintain that whole King Steve thing he had going for him but it just doesn’t seem to work anymore. Robin’s even got a scoreboard up behind the counter that she diligently marks whenever he makes an ass of himself, as if he needs or wants a reminder.

He’s just gotten so used to being the guy everyone wants him to be that it’s hard to find his footing lately.

So maybe Robin’s little statement about you not being his type does sting just a little. He’s staring at you again and Robin clears her throat. And maybe it’s because she’s finding empathy for him lately because they have to spend so much time together at work and work is easier when they at least get along just a little, maybe this is why she drags him over to you before he even has a chance to pull himself together.

“___. You remember Steve Harrington, right?” she asks as soon as you turn around.

Up close, holy shit. You’re even prettier somehow. He was not prepared for it, not at all. You’re giggling and you’ve got a strand of hair wound around your finger as you glance from Robin to Steve as you smile up at him after locking eyes with him. “Mhm. King Steve.” you almost want to kick yourself when you say it, but you’re quick to follow up with a soft little laugh and a shrug, “Or so I’ve heard.” and it’s almost as if you’re teasing just a little.

Steve’s cheeks are flushed and it’s the first time the shoe has ever been on the other foot for him. You giggle and it’s this cute little sound. Soft and dreamy almost. Then you turn your attention to Robin. “You and me, shitty chick flicks and house paint. Tonight around 9. You’re in, right? I’ll come pick you up.”

Robin’s grinning as she nods and laughs. “I’d love that. Hey, think you can make some of those brownies?” she’s fidgeting a little, giving you her best pleading look and you laugh. “Yeah. If my stove doesn’t try to burst into flames.”

“Yay!”

You and Robin hug and you air kiss her on both cheeks before pulling away. You turn and find yourself standing thisclose to Steve. You swallow hard and you try to ignore the way your breath is caught in your throat for just a second or two. Then you raise up, fluff his hair a little and wink. “I’ll see you around, king Steve.” you’re teasing again when you say it and Steve shuffles his feet as you pull away from him and slink out of the ice cream parlor, disappearing into the crowd outside.

Steve tugs at the red tie of the stupid uniform. “You’re friends with her?”

“Mhm. She lived close to me. We kind of grew up together. Everybody used to tell us we were like night and day though.”

Steve is still staring out the doors of Scoops, a hand raised and resting against the back of his head.

“She’s changed a lot.” Robin muses, shrugging.

“How?”

“Well, when she lived her back then, she had big glasses. What I used to call grandma sweaters.” Robin laughs. “Stop staring at the door, Steve. It’s not going to summon her back.”

“I wasn’t!”

“You were, dingus.”

“I was not, Robin.”

“You totally were. Do I need to add a tally to the board?”

Steve rolls his eyes at the comment.

But he wants to run into you just one more time. So when he goes out for his break around 6, he wanders around just a little. And he happens to catch sight of you behind one of the branded makeup counters in JcPenneys.

He wanders in before he can stop himself.

“Hey.”

You jump a little, turning to look at him as you’re restocking a row of foundations. “Hey! You scared me.”

“You work here?”

You nod. “For now. I uh.. One day, I want to open my own salon.” you laugh. “Anything you need? If you need a gift for your girlfriend of the week,” you gesture to the perfumes sitting on a 3 tier display on the back side of your circular counter, “I can help you find something?”

“I uh.. Don’t have a girlfriend.”

You pretend to be shocked, but admittedly, his confession does have you curious because back in high school, he had girls flocking to him.

“Sorry, I just thought...” you’re not even sure why you’re apologizing and you laugh softly about doing it. He chuckles, shrugging it off. “It’s by choice.”

“Oh. yeah, I get it. Me too.” you say it in a rush, words tumbling out on top of each other.

“Do you get breaks around here?” he asks, a hand dragging through his hair as soon as he’s taken the stupid hat off. You laugh and nod. “Just give me a second. I’m dying for a cigarette anyway.”

After stopping the manager on the floor to tell her you’re stepping out for a smoke while it’s slow, you wander back over to Steve. He smiles and the two of you wander out into the parking lot, lighting up your cigarettes as soon as you’re outside and sitting on the curb of the sidewalk. The breeze picks up a little and you glance up. “That storm is supposed to set in tonight. Just fucking great.” you grimace when you say it and Steve is staring at you while you’re staring ahead, eyes fixed on a row in the parking lot, lost in thought.

“You hate bad weather?” Steve asks, exhaling a shaky ring of smoke into the air as he tips his head back just a little. Enough that you’re focusing on the strong yet delicate line formed by the column of his neck.

“So much, oh my god. At least Robin will be there tonight.” you smile, laugh softly. You tear your eyes off and remind yourself that you’re not a kid anymore and this crush is one you absolutely cannot delve back into. You’re not his type and you never have been. It would never work.

“Yeah, that’s good.” Steve mutters. And he thinks about how he’ll be going back to that big and empty house all by himself. Where the quiet is too much and the walls are always just a second away from closing in. Where he feels the loneliest.

But he can’t tell anyone because who would even care?

You can sense just the slightest shift in his demeanor and you glance over. Studying him for a second or two, the way hair falls into his eye and the streetlamp overhead illuminates an outline of his strong facial features and you’re doing it again, you’re staring.

“It is. It won’t be so scary.” you admit, taking the last drag of your cigarette. You pull yourself to your feet and slip back on the heels you brought before your shift that you’ve been trying to break in. They’re killing your feet. But they were pretty and you could finally afford them.

You hold out a hand to him and he snickers, gazing at your hand first and then up at you. He grabs hold and lets you think you pulled him up and the two of you make your way back into the building just as the storm settles in over Hawkins.

“Great.” you mumble, flinching as thunder rolls noisily, only slightly quieted by the structure of the mall as you both roam through. After talking to Robin about where to meet up after your shifts end, you make your way back down to the department store and you get back to work.

And Robin grills Steve relentlessly about your little smoke break together. Steve has a few questions of his own and when he starts to ask them, Robin gapes at him. Then she’s quick to repeat what she told him earlier in their shift together.

“Oh no. Uh uh, no you don’t. Trust me, Steve… She’s not your type.”

It’s code for “You’re not going to break my best friend’s heart.” and on some level, Steve knows this. But the phrasing and the way she feels she has to be so protective over you just stings a little. But he knows it has everything to do with the guy he used to be.

Rather, the guy he used to pretend to be.

#steve harrington #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington fanfiction #steve harrington fic #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x fem!reader #// lmk whether you want this to be slice of life or 'oh shit monsters are real'. i have ideas for both ways tbh.

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