#sinclair oc

She looks forward to hair days as it's really the only time she can play with her hair or, better yet, get a nice scalp massage, frizz be damned. Erica is coming down the stairs with her pillow, which she specifically uses to sit on when she gets her hair done, when the doorbell rings. 

Erica scowls at the audacity of someone interrupting her time with her sister. She tells Camille that she will get the door as she rushes to turn them away. 

Sunday visitors were rare. 

And she knows it's not one of her brother's nerd friends, as they didn't understand the meaning of knocking or ringing a doorbell outside of Will. Besides, Lucas is out of the house, and he knows the repercussions of any interruptions to the peace and quiet of her day. 

Her friends knew better than to interrupt this day and not plan any major event; to be her friend, this was part of the terms and conditions of association.

She knows Camille never invited anyone over. Despite never saying anything outright to her about how she feels about this day, she knows her sister can tell.

God forbid it is a solicitor; Erica will ensure the person and their company never darken not only their doorstep but their street. 

The person is lucky that she wasn't sitting with her hair already parted. The verbal whooping they would get would be worse. She would make them wish Lucifer himself had opened the door. 

She answers the door ready to give them a piece of her mind when she falters at the sight of Steve Harrington holding a bouquet of lilies. 

 Her eyebrows skyrocket into her hairline. 

This has been a very interesting development she has watched unfold since the start of both Camille’s and Steve's junior year last autumn. And now, as they edge closer to their senior year, she is sure everyone is waiting with bated breath for the Head Cheerleader, valedictorian, and student council president and Captain of the swimming and basketball team to get together. 

In her opinion, Steve is punching above his weight with her older sister. 

Her sister has been mum about Steve “The Hair” Harrington. 

Yet, Erica isn't dumb. 

She knows her sister likes the boy. Erica has been subjected to many of Steve's attempts at flirting, which have included flowers, rides to places, dinners, movies, Erica's favorite ice cream, and full access to his pool. 

Besides, she isn't opposed to her sister's thrill of the chase. With the boy's insistence on getting in her good graces, Steve acted like her own chauffeur when she wanted to hang with friends or new dolls; he would scoop them up on her behalf. 

She didn't even have to pay the man back. He has the right idea of trying to impress her to get in Camille’s good graces. 

Yet, as much as she finds the boy tolerable, she is not going to bend to him invading today of all days.

“She's busy,” Erica greets, and the most disappointing thing is that Steve doesn’t even react to her tone and remarks anymore. He takes it in stride as if they were talking about the weather. 

“Doing what?” He asks, looking down at her. 

She narrows her eyes as if she owes him an explanation. She goes to open her mouth, but of course Camille shows up behind her, if the dopey look on Steve's face is any indication. 

“Hey, Steve,” her sister greets with her airy voice. 

Erica almost gags as the boy almost turns into a puddle. The youngest Sinclair would believe that her sister was part Siren with the way this man acts. 

Steve's cheeks turn that blotchy red as he clears his throat. It's almost pathetic that this is the King Steve people fawn over. And she is over this lackluster interruption to her day. 

She snatches the flowers out of the boy's hand and passes them to her sister. 

“He got you flowers. Have a nice day, Steve!” She utters cheerfully as she closes the door in his face. 

“Erica!” Camille scolds. 

“What?”

“That was incredibly rude!”

And God forbid Erica doesn't care that she is nearly 10 years old as she stomps her foot on the ground, “ But it's Sunday!”

Camille's expression doesn't soften as she glowers at her. And Erica knows she won't win this, after all, she learned all her tricks from her sister. Besides, even Lucas agrees that having Camille disappointed in an action one of them took is a heavy weight to carry on the shoulders and gut. 

Camille leaves, most likely to put the flowers in a vase. Erica can admit they are beautiful Tiger Lilies. The boy does have good taste in picking arrangements. 

She sighs as she opens the door, and, of course, Steve is still there. He doesn't look upset, as his hands are in his jacket pockets. 

Erica will never admit it, but Steve is selfless, and he won't ask her for an apology for her behavior. It's a quality she doesn't know whether to qualify as endearing or stupid. 

“I'm sorry for shutting the door in your face.”

He doesn't smirk at her, but his smile is amused as he taps her head before coming into the house. 

Erica huffs as she grabs her pillow and heads into the living room. She decides that if Steve is invading their time, she is going to put on My Little Pony and make him switch the VHS. 

She makes herself comfortable as she can hear Steve and her sister talking softly. Her sister's laughter fills the void. The little girl can admit that her sister laughs more because of Steve. 

A couple of minutes later, Steve is following Camille like a lost puppy into the living room. Her brown eyes narrow at her sister, and her lips look a little fuller than usual. 

Camille rolls her eyes at the opening theme of My Little Pony, no doubt on to her game. Erica only smiles sweetly. 

Yet her vindictive victory seems hollow in light of Steve's next words. 

“Sorry for interrupting your Sunday,” he starts as he sits on the couch next to her sister. Erica looks at him, confused. “I've been informed that today is just for you and her. This is my one free pass.”

Erica looks at him, stunned, and tries her best to hide it. 

Then Camille speaks up, “I told him if it's alright with you, we can call him when I'm done with your hair, and we can go out for dinner on these days.”

“No, Lucas?”

“No, Lucas,” Camille affirms. 

And Erica isn't one to show any weakness. She clears her throat. “I'm amenable to the agreement.”

Camille snorts, and Steve is flooded with relief. 

Erica relaxes as Camille begins parting her hair. The motion is soothing and comforting. It's a hug that only her sister can give.  A language only she will know of, unless, God forbid, Steve Harrington gives her nieces or nephews. The thought is slightly revolting, although turning them against Lucas would be fun. 

She spots Steve's reflection in the TV as he opens the Blue Magic containers and listens intently as her sister explains her process - their hair- to him.

It's in the lull of the silence, as Steve hands Camille bands or beads for her braids, that she speaks up. 

“You know, we don't have to watch My Little Ponies.” She says more to Steve than to her sister. 

“It's cool,” he replies. His eyes were immersed in the rainbow of colors on the screen. “They're your favorite, right?”

“Yeah, they are.”

“So tell me about them.”

on a particularly white and cold morning came the 12th birthday of lucas and evelyn sinclair. even though it was a tuesday morning, it happened to be close to the end of winter, so it was still snowing so all the kids and teens of hawkins were out due to the weather.

smothered by her three fuzzy blankets to keep the cold out, the older sinclair twin still felt a chill run down her back. not even a chill, it was like a wave of ice cold water.

..and that's just what it was.

"AHH JESUS CHRIST!!" evie let out a loud gasp as she tried to catch her breath. she wiped down her face and opened her eyes to try and catch the culprit of the spilled water. and true to her suspicions, it was her twin, lucas.

by the time she had realized it was him, he had already booked it out of her room.

she grumbled to herself. "lucas charles sinclair, so help me god, you're gonna eat it."

༘⋆📼˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡˚ later that day ༘⋆📼˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡˚

it's still quite chilly outside, so the three sinclair siblings are huddled by their fireplace, waiting for their friends to come over and celebrate the twins' birthday. meanwhile in the kitchen were sue and charles sinclair, prepping the small platter of food and a cake for the kids.

the entire time the kids were huddled up, lucas could feel his sisters glaring at him. erica, the youngest sibling leaned over to him. "you know, you should be glad vi hasn't told mom and dad on you yet."

evie leaned over as well. "you bet your sorry ass i'm getting you back. you won't even see it coming." she whispered quiet enough to where their parents won't hear her. lucas looked left and right at the both of them. he wasn't as fazed with erica but he was with evie.

here's the thing. you mess with evie and oh boy, does she get her lick back. one time lucas pranked her by putting vaseline on her door handle and then putting a broom on the outside of her door so she couldn't get out regardless. it made her late for school and to say she was pissed was an understatement. so she grabbed her belongings and climbed out her window and made her way to school. and later that night, when it was time to pj's and dinner, lucas' pj's felt a little itchy. he had a rash for 2 days.

so for erica to say he was lucky that their parents hadn't found out was the LEAST of his worries. he looked at evie once more, a snarky remark about to leave his lips. "look im not-"

*knock knock*

sue walks out of the kitchen wiping her hands on a towel. "that must be your friends! i'll get the door." evie quickly gets up, dragging lucas' hand behind her. "NO! no i'll get it mama," she runs past her mother with lucas behind her to open the door.

sue rolls her eyes at her eager children and turns back around to the kitchen. lucas tripped forward as evie pushed him towards the door.

he opened the door to see all of the rest of the party plus 3 other girls holding presents.

"HEY SINCLAIRS!!!", "EVIEEEE!!!" all the kids were shouting over each others' names, all of them excited to see their favorite twins (and the only twins they know). as lucas stepped aside to let them all in, evie saw her chance and took it.

once her last friend walked in, she grabbed lucas' arm and pushed him outside and slammed the door. "THAT'S WHAT YOU GET FOR POURING ICE WATER ON ME DINGBAT!" evie shot her arms in the air as she finally got her lick back.

it's safe to say both parents were upset at this action, but evie argued her way out of it and was very reluctant to let lucas back in.

sometime after, while everyone's eating, dustin goes over to evie and pulls her aside with a semi-large box in his hands.

evie and dustin are in the hallway leading towards her bedroom. "what's up with the box?" "well ev, i know you guys are doing gifts later but i wanted to give you this now." he gives her his infamous toothless smile and hands the box to her. as she grabs it, her arms drop a little as it seems the box has some weight to it.

"oh what on earth could you have possibly gotten me, dustin?" she let out a light laugh and carefully set the box down. dustin is rocking back and forth on his feet as she moves to sit on the floor to open the box. she reads the tag that says 'to evie, the cooler sinclair (don't tell lucas i said that). i hope you really really like it, from dustin', she smiles at it and unwraps the box. dustin gets down to her level to see her reaction face to face. evie's eyes light up as she opens the box that reveals a record player!

"oh my gosh! this is so sick! how'd you get this?!" by this point, she stood up and was jumping up and down. dustin stood back up and nervously wiped his hands on his pants. "well, i'm really glad you like it. i know you like dancing and stuff and your music and all that. mom helped me pick it." he rambled on and on. evie pretty much threw her arms around him. "thank you so much goob! you're the best!" little to dustin's knowledge---as her put his arms around her---evie was dying inside because someone other than her dad paid attention to her interests and it all worked out.

it wasn't until this moment, on her 12th birthday that evelyn sinclair has started developing feelings for dustin henderson.

HI GUYS! (this was 988 words)

i'm lowkey nervous about this being out cause i've tried to write fiction in the past and it never worked out for me but that's cause it was wattpad lmao (NO HATE TO WP THATS MY FIRST FICTION SITE ITS MY BABY) but anyways i hope you guys really enjoy this GOD IM SO MATERNAL FOR BABY EVIE!!!! this is 100% written in my brain. i literally googled a lot of 80s slang and even went as far as seeing what the weather was in the midwest in feb '83 😭IM TRYING HERE! AGAIN anyways enjoy the prologue to under your spell is now yours ml's

Her parents were gone for their annual anniversary trip. This year, they were going to Hawaii with the promise of a family Christmas trip. She hopes to convince them to allow Steve to join as well. She knows her mom loves Steve, while her dad tries to act like an overprotective father but fails miserably, as he and Steve have weekly man time with Lucas in his newly renovated man cave. 

With them gone, Camille was left in charge of her two younger siblings. Thankfully, they have always been pretty self-sufficient, and they made it easy on her. 

Lucas would spend most of his time with Mike, Dustin, and Will. Though Max, now as his girlfriend, Camille, noticed that he preferred to hang out with her here, reading comics and playing video games. If they weren't here, they would be at the arcade or the movies. 

And Lucas was very good at informing her of where he was, especially after she got looped into the whole Upside Down world. 

Erica at first preferred staying home to play with her dolls or watch My Little Pony for the hundredth time. Though now at 10, Erica preferred the company of her friends, especially with the newly opened Star Court Mall. 

Although today, she is giving the mall a break to hang out with Tina. Though Camille's beloved yellow Beetle battery died, leaving her without a car, Erica was given a ride by Steve Harrington.

A smile drifts over her lips at the thought of Steve Harrington. It had been a surprise to her to find herself entangled with Steve Harrington. She remembers at the start of her junior year, a shy Nancy Wheeler asking about the popular jock. The way the girl had blushed trying to pry info. 

Camille had been hesitant to allow Nancy to get caught up in the delusion of grandeur Steve projected. Yet, once the boy himself had cornered her in the library, she had threatened his ability to sire children; she had brought him and Nancy together. 

And Camille had never thought of Steve as more than a friend. In middle school, they were close, but in high school, they drifted, and she had no interest in hanging out with Tommy or Carol. 

Yet, the cracks in Steve and Nancy’s relationship were evident early on. And what happened in November of 83 seemed to fizzle out the once-burning promise of teenage love. 

She could tell the boy was heartbroken. And unlike the others, who had a bond over what happened in the Upside Down, he had no one. He went home to an empty house. 

Camille didn't hesitate to invite him to places or hang out with him in school. 

Steve became a weekly figure at dinner. He would tolerate Erica's assistance in playing with dolls or having a tea party. Lucas would challenge him to play the Atari. 

Yet, with them, it was slow. Camille can't pinpoint when things became more. High fives and hugs turned into lingering caresses, and Steve's hand found a home on the small of her back. 

Camille's fingers caress her lips as she and Steve, with her parents and siblings out, will have the house to themselves. 

Steve's parents had come back from one of his father's trips, which led Steve to stay with her family after another fight with his father over college. She had only met the mythical father figure a couple of times, but he didn’t seem that impressed with their relationship. 

And with him not having to work today and her siblings out of the house, Camille and Steve are banking on some alone time.

She even bought a nice pair of emerald green lace lingerie. Steve is surprisingly a simple man, but she knows he appreciates the lace with strategically placed holes. 

Camille smooths out her floral sundress as she makes her way to the living room, where she would have a good view of when Steve’s BMW would pull into the lot. As much as she loves her siblings, she and Steve have not had any alone time, despite Steve's efforts. 

Camille didn’t feel comfortable having sex with her boyfriend with her siblings in the house or on his bolder days with her parents. 

She grabs one of the magazines on the table while she waits for her boyfriend to return. She is deep in an article about gossip about the Jackson Family when she hears a car door slam. She looks up to find Steve making his way to the front door. 

Camille reaches the doorway in time to see Steve walk through the doorway, swinging his keys. 

“All alone?” He questions as if he doesn’t already know the answer. 

“Just us,” she confirms.

She squeals as Steve throws her over his shoulder as he races up to her room. “Steve!”

Steve reaches her room in record time, slamming the door shut with his feet. He slides her body down his front, and instead of letting her feet touch the ground, she wraps her legs around his waist. 

His lips find hers in an instant, causing her to smile as she tastes the lemonade flavor of her chapstick he claimed she had no idea where she left it.

Steve’s fingers dig into the plusness of her thighs as he walks them towards her bed. He lays her on her back as he grinds into her. 

Camille can’t help the moan that escapes her lips at the anticipation, which Steve notices immediately as he separates their lips with a smirk. “Someone’s eager.”

He decides to tease her as his fingers trace over the lace covering her; he doesn’t need to apply any further pressure to see how damp she is. 

“Steve,” she huffs. 

“Don’t want to hurt you, baby.” He leans back as he removes his shirt. 

She remembers how, after he graduated, he grew out his chest hair, much to Dustin's disgust. She remembers the boy asking how she could find any of that attractive. She knows a part of the reason Steve didn’t keep his chest hair was that he was the swim co-captain, but she likes it because it represents him shedding the identity he had in high school. 

Steve also likes it when she runs her fingers through his hair, which she does now as she undoes the buckle of his belt. He does the rest of the work as he kicks off his jeans, leaving him in black boxer briefs. 

She watches as he goes to kneel, but she stops him. 

“Wait!”

He pauses immediately in concern. Camille sits up and grabs him, pulling him to the bed. She bites her lip at the obvious tent in his boxers as she motions for him to relax against her mountain of pillows. 

He doesn’t complain, especially as she straddles his hips. The skirt of her dress covered his erection. 

“I got something for you,” she whispers. 

Steve raises his eyebrow and relaxes back against her pillows, covered in silk. She goes to the buttons of her sundress. Steve, never being one to keep his hands to himself, grabs her thighs as he rubs his thumb in circles on her heated skin. 

She slowly undoes the buttons, which expose the green lace of her bra with a cute little bow in the middle. Her nipples are already stiff through the fabric. The fabric is loose enough that the short sleeves fall from her shoulders. 

“Christ.” Steve licks his lips. 

“You like?” She giggles.

Steve groans as his hands move from her thighs to her chest, where he squeezes her flesh through the lace. He leans forward without breaking eye contact, and his mouth sucks on her pert nipple through the fabric. 

The moan she releases is filthy as she begins to rock against him, especially as he moves the lace away from her breast, and soon his mouth covers it as he nips and sucks, and his other hand tweaks her nipple. 

She grinds down harder on him as she chases the sting of pain and pleasure. She yelps as Steve delivers a particularly sharp bite. 

“Steve!” She tugs on his hair in retaliation. Her boyfriend pulls back from her spit-slick chest. His hands go behind her and unclasp her bra completely. 

“Fuck,” he mutters as he gets a sight of her uncovered chest.  He kisses her chest before trailing up her neck and jaw, before meeting her lips. 

He flips them, and he tugs at her loose dress, leaving her completely bare in just the pair of emerald green thongs. 

“Goddamn, baby,” he mutters as he takes in the sight of her. His finger moves the excuse of fabric aside, and she can tell that she is glistening. 

As much as she hates to think about Steve's past, the gossip about him was correct about his prowess in bed. She had only slept with two people before Steve, and yet she knows that Steve has ruined any other for her based on his sheer size alone, outside of his stamina. 

He leans forward and smashes their lips together as his thick fingers breach her. Her mouth opens in a whine, and Steve takes the advantage and slides his tongue against hers. 

He presses their bodies together and removes his fingers from her before putting them in front of her, waiting. 

She wraps her lips around them, cleaning herself from him. 

He leans forward to her side table, where she keeps their condoms. However, any lust leaves her body as a high-pitched scream erupts. 

Camille doesn’t know if it’s from his history as a former jock or their adventures with interdimensional creatures, but Steve immediately scoops her up, rolling them until they hit the floor, taking a blanket to cover them up for modesty. 

She is too much in a daze to be impressed. 

“Have you ever heard of knocking!” Steve yells. 

“What are you doing, trying to bone my sister!” Lucas fires back, making a retching sound. 

Camille leans up to find Dustin covering his eyes while Mike looks disgusted. 

“She’s my girlfriend!” Steve replies. 

“I told you, they were making happy screams,” a tentative voice says from behind Mike.

Camille smiles at hearing El and decides to speak up. “Can you guys close the door so we can get dressed?”

“Make sure you wash your hands,” Lucas gripes before closing the door. 

“I can’t wait for my parents to leave,” Steve mutters as he sags against the bed. 

Camille giggles as she presses a kiss against his cheek. “It’s only a couple more days.”

The brunette groans. “I’m dying here. It’s been a week since we had some alone time.”

She snorts as she stands and doesn’t miss the way his eyes linger on her chest before trailing down to her soaked panties. “We’ve had plenty of alone time.”

“Not the kind I am talking about.” He replies as he tries to grab her, but she smacks his hands away as she moves to find new underwear. “The longest we've gone without any type of sex is 56 hours since we started having it.”

“Steve, be serious.”

“I am serious!” He insists as he pouts as she puts on a clean pair of panties - bikini briefs - before putting her dress back on. 

She rolls her eyes as she goes into her ensuite bathroom to wash her hands and freshen up. She ignores Steve’s grumbling as he fixes her bed and finds his clothes. 

She walks behind him and wraps her arms around his waist. She kisses his shoulder. “It was really hot how you protected me, though.”

“Now you are just teasing.”

She cackles as she goes to the door. “I’ll give you a few minutes.”

She makes her way downstairs, where she finds the whole crew in her living room. Max gives her a friendly wave, and Will's cheeks are inflamed, no doubt from what he knows they all interrupted. 

“Did you wash your hands?” Lucas asks. 

Camille sighs as she looks at her younger brother. Previous boyfriends, Lucas would grumble and roll his eyes at them. Call them “mouthbreathers,” but he didn’t go out of his way to interact with them outside of threatening to shoot them with his slingshot. 

With her being with Steve, it’s been mercurial. She knows it has to do with the Upside Down, and frankly, Steve is his friend. She does her best to ensure that her relationship with Steve will not impact their friendship. 

“What are you guys doing here?”

“Mrs. Wheeler has people over,” Lucas answers.

“My mom’s getting the carpet cleaned,” Dustin adds. 

“Nancy and Jonathan are at the house,” Will says softly. 

Camille wants to point out that they seem to have a penchant for interrupting her and Steve more than Nancy and Jonathan. Maybe she and Steve are too soft with the kids. “You guys hungry?”

“Can you make some fried chicken…oh, or ribs?” Dustin asks, hopefully. 

“She’s not your damn chef. You guys will do just fine with pizza and wings,” Steve says as he enters the living room. His cheeks are still flushed, but he seems put together. 

It's instant that all the boys make a kissy face and sound at him. “Real mature,” he mutters as he goes to the side table that keeps all the menus for restaurants. He tugs her along as he sits on the loveseat and places her on his lap. 

“Did you wash your hands?” Lucas asks him. 

“Yes, I washed my hands, and I even brushed my teeth.”

“Ew, I so did not need that detail,” Lucas says with a gag. 

Steve smirks, causing her to roll her eyes. 

“What does brushing teeth have to do with happy screams?” El asks, hesitantly. 

Everyone freezes. Camille is sure that Hopper doesn’t want his little girl to know about the birds and the bees. 

Camille clears her throat. “How about when we have a girls' day, I will tell you all about happy screams.” She will also be making sure that El uses another word for sex. 

“And don’t be getting any ideas,” Steve adds as he wags his fingers at Mike. 

The boy in question scowls. “Like I would listen to you on that. I’m still confused about what Camille even sees in you.”

“Hey!” 

“Besides, why are you even saying that to me. Shouldn’t you be saying that to Lucas and Max?”

“I trust, Max,” Steve says confidently. Yet, a frown overtakes his features. “You two aren’t having sex, are you?”

“Steve!” The room exclaims. 

“I think the only people having sex in this room are you two,” Dustin says pointedly. “So maybe we should be giving you guys the safe sex talk.”

“You don’t see any babies running around here, do you?” Steve says pointedly as he rubs her stomach. 

“Okay enough boys,” she interrupts before this goes to far. They really don’t need to be discussing sex with 14-year-olds. “What do you want to eat?” 

If there is one thing she has learned about boys is that they are easily distracted by the promise of food. 

Though Camille knew the reason behind it. She knew why her brother began to flinch if the lights flickered. Her brother made sure to keep his sling rocket with ammo on him at all times. The way he always checked and made sure her mini crossbow was maintained, and she had plenty of ammo. The reason he had approached Steve Harrington, the rare times the two would encounter each other, was to force the boy to keep bolts in his truck, next to his baseball bat. 

Lucas’ surveillance didn’t end until the cold freeze had broken and the first crack of spring had sprouted. 

Maybe it had been foolish of Camille to think that what happened during the one week in November of 1983 would be a blip in their lives. A bad memory that they would all recover from. 

Though it was wishful thinking, as only a year later, the Upside Down tried to become right-side up. Thankfully, they were still able to shield Erica and her parents. But worst, Lucas didn’t seem outwardly affected. His recovery wasn’t as bad as last time. He still had her check in, but she thought his concern had turned to Max. It scared her how easily he bounced back. 

For Camille, her dream of having a dog had evaporated after encountering a pack of demo-dogs with Steve Harrington. Yet, maybe that was why Lucas’ hovering was different. Lucas had Max, while somehow Steve had become her shadow. At first, she had been confused. Even before 1983, the only interaction she and Steve shared was at Pep Rallies, considering she was a cheerleader. 

Outside of that, they were almost in two different worlds. 

Yet she allowed him to latch on, as she could tell he was lonely in the cold, empty house of his and heartbroken over Nancy. He slowly became a friend, confidante, and someone she could trust not only with her brother but with all the kids. Her shadow eventually became his. 

And she couldn’t say she was surprised by what happened at the Starcourt Mall. She knew things came in three. 

Yet, it felt different. This time it was different. 

Sure, they had lost Barb and Bob. Yet, despite knowing the two, she could admit the loss didn’t sting as she had no tangible bond or connection with them. She was hurt by their loss because of other people. If anything, she felt guilty that she was happy her brother was alive and safe. He was here with her and Max. He was relatively safe. 

Though now, surviving feels hollow. 

This time, winning had sacrifices. 

Camille can still recall the look on El’s face when she realized Hopper wasn’t going to be following Joyce out of that building. And El had no one. Camille had moved out from under Steve’s arms and rushed to the girl. She can still feel those hot tears soaking her shirt, which was already mixed with Steve’s blood. 

Yet, for some reason, she knew the kids hadn’t really come to terms with the loss of Hopper. With him taking care of El, he had become a more parental figure to all of them. No longer was it Joyce who made sure they were safe and okay, but Hopper as well. He wasn’t as affectionate and open, but she would spot the sheriff making rounds in his truck, checking on the neighborhood. 

Even at the funeral, the aura was off. She didn’t know whether it was because of the mall fire lie, as she witnessed townsfolk pay their respects. A public funeral had the whole town lining the streets, yet the worst part was that there was no body. 

There was nothing left of Hopper outside of a broken cabin. 

Yet as summer comes to a close, she feels the oppression of secrecy weighing her down. It feels as if the closer she gets to her college move-in date, the more evident her fear and trepidation become. She doesn’t want to leave anyone. It has been three consistent years of something that she knows she will be too far to help make a difference. 

She is already up when she hears a tentative knock at her door. The arm around her tightens as it takes the smallest of sounds and movements to wake Steve Harrington up. Before Starcourt, he was a heavy sleeper, but now if her breath hitches wrong, he is up. 

And if it’s her parents, she will be screwed to find Steve Harrington in her bed in just his boxers. Her parents were lenient about his presence, but not about sleepovers. 

“Was that the door?” he mutters. His body is ready for an attack. 

“Yeah, give me a second,” she tells him as he reluctantly loosens his hold. She slips out of bed, wearing an oversized t-shirt that once belonged to Steve. She cracks her door open, fully expecting her parents. With her parents’ jobs, she is used to them sometimes having to leave in the middle of the night for emergencies. Yet she is surprised to find Erica huddled under a blanket with one of her teddy bears. 

“Hey, is everything okay?” She asks softly. 

“Can I come in?”

Camille doesn’t hesitate to let her baby sister walk into her room. In fact, Erica doesn’t blink an eye at the sight of Steve Harrington sitting up in bed or moving to grab a shirt to put on. 

She sits on the edge of the bed as Erica all but falls into her lap. It’s then she feels hot tears staining her shirt. Erica’s cries are muffled, and it takes all of Camille’s willpower not to break down with her as she rubs her back. 

“Let it all out,” Camille soothes. She presses a kiss to her sister's head as she begins rocking back and forth. 

It’s only a couple of minutes later when another tentative knock comes from the door. Steve squeezes her shoulder, letting her know he will grab it, especially after Lucas mutters that it is him. It’s clear her brother knows Steve had climbed through her window. 

Camille opens her arm up, and Lucas quickly settles into her side. Steve comes over and presses a kiss on her forehead before he goes to sit back against the headboard. 

Yet, Erica grabs his hand and makes him sit on her side. 

Steve seems hesitant, but he scoots closer, and his arm wraps around her and Lucas. She tilts her head up and meets his eyes, and she can see the tears building. If her hands were free, she would wipe the tears forming and caress the healing cut on his lip. 

She doesn’t know how long they have been on the edge of her bed. It is long enough that Erica’s cries turn to sniffles and broken sobs, until her breath evened out and she was deep in sleep. 

“Do you want me to grab Erica or Lucas?” Steve whispers. 

“Grab Lucas. I can maneuver with Erica.”

Steve immediately grabs Lucas while Camille stands with her little sister. She positions herself in the middle of the bed while Steve places Lucas on the right side. She is not surprised that Steve takes the spot on the left, closer to the door. 

He extends his arm to where it reaches towards Lucas, and his other arm joins her in rubbing Erica’s back. 

“Thank you,” she whispers. 

He looks at her, confused, “We should be thanking you.” She shakes her head, but he stops her. “It’s okay for you to cry, too. Let me help.” He whispers. 

Her eyes sting, and she forces herself to look up at the ceiling. 

She doesn’t know how to explain the way her chest aches at the sound of radio static. The way she can no longer handle feeling any type of coldness. She is terrified of winter, but then they weren’t even safe in the summer. Or worse, the panic she feels when the house gets quite and she can’t hear Erica or Lucas. During the whole summer, she was filled with anxiety when Lucas and Max would go off on their adventures. 

And now, she is leaving for college. She is leaving her siblings. She is leaving him. 

She takes a shaky breath, tears leaking down her face into her pillow. “I’m scared.”

Steve wipes away her tears. He doesn’t ask her to elaborate. “I’m here. I’ll always be here.”

Camille doesn’t remember falling asleep, but she wakes in a panic at the absence of her siblings and Steve. She feels she is on the verge of a breakdown, but Lucas is on the floor reading a sports magazine. At her frenzied movement, he looks up and gives her a soft smile. 

“Steve?” She questions. He always made sure to nudge her awake to let her know he was leaving. 

“He said he will be back. Mom almost caught him,” Lucas tells her. 

She nods her head, and she leans forward to look at her clock, seeing that it is nearing 11 in the morning. She seems to have really slept in. 

She eyes her little brother. She knows him enough to know the biting of his lip and the constant movement of his fingers; he is unnerved. She pats her mattress, and he rushes into her bed. And like last night, he finds a home under her arm. It reminds her of when they were younger, when she loved holding her siblings, only for them to claim they were big kids and too old for hugs. She remembers how Lucas clung to her when Erica was a baby. 

“You guys know you can talk to me,” she tells him softly. 

“It’s just before…I mean, people got hurt…Bob, Barb…but Hopper -” Lucas voice trembles. “And you and Erica were stuck down in that Russian base, and I didn’t even know! I should have known. The one time -”

“Hey, you can’t think like that,” she interrupts. “You were needed there for Max, El, Mike, and Will.”

“But I should have been protecting you!” Lucas insists. “And all I can think is that I’m glad it was Billy… and not you, and I feel terrible.”

She squeezes her brother tight. And she knows he has to be struggling with how to console Max if he is struggling with these feelings, when their feelings towards Billy were never favorable, even after his death. 

She also knows she can’t sugarcoat the truth. Not after what all of them have been through. 

“There is nothing wrong with feeling that way because you know what, I feel the same. Every night, I feel relieved that you and Erica are home and safe in your beds. If something were to ever happen to me, it is not on you. I don’t want you to carry that. I would want you to live for me. Live a full life.”

Lucas squeezes her tightly. And she fights back the sob that her baby brother is no longer a baby fighting against make-believe monsters, but now he is a teenager who has experienced the adrenaline of fighting for life and death, and he hasn't even started high school. 

“The world is scary, and I wish I could have shielded you from that longer.” 

“This time it feels different.” Lucas sniffles. 

She leans back, and she looks her brother in the eyes. “Promise me, you won't bury this. If you can't talk to me, you talk to someone, okay.”

Lucas looks at her thoughtfully. “Do you talk to Steve?”

“Probably not as much as I should,” she admits. 

Lucas nods, but then a horrified expression takes over his face. “If you're not talking…are these sheets clean?”

Camille snorts. “We don't do that.”

Lucas looks unconvinced. 

“I swear it. Despite what you all think, we aren't that.”

“With how much he makes moon eyes at you and the frequent sleepovers…why?”

“I don't want it to feel like we're together because of adrenaline or the trauma we have gone through.”

Lucas nods his head and gives her a knowing look. “He really does like you, though.” 

She smiles, knowing, unlike her, that Steve is more open about his feelings for her. She isn't surprised when he is over, helping Lucas practice for basketball tryouts, if she is a topic of conversation. 

“You'll watch out for each other?” She asks. She and Steve had yet to breach what their relationship would evolve into once she left for college. 

“We're both going to be a wreck when you're at college,” he admits. Her heart swells at the thought of her boys. 

Camille takes a shaky breath as she pulls him into another hug. “I love you.”

Maybe a StevexSinclair!reader fic where it’s angst with comfort. The reader sees Steve constantly vying for Nancy’s attention with Jonathan and thinks he’s still hung up on her when he’s not.

Camille Sinclair isn’t sure what to label whatever is going on between her and Steve Harrington. At the end of the world, were labels that important? There were more important things to worry about than whether she and Steve were… exclusive. 

She knows that they kind of are, as to be fair, there was slim pickings due to the “earthquake” that had dwindled their population. 

If he wasn’t at her house, under the guise of sleeping on the couch, she was over at his with the excuse that his place is closer to the station. 

He hasn’t yet put her in an awkward situation of having to explain that he has a date on a given night. 

Yet, even from the start of whatever they were, it all seemed to be very murky. 

No exact definition of what they were doing, or if anything, they were passing the time.  She didn’t think anyone even knew that she and Steve were more than just friends, as they were just acquaintances in high school. Sure, she was the head cheerleader while he was captain of the school’s various sports teams. A few classes were shared with the occasional group project, but nothing of any real substance was shared between them. 

But then there was Will’s vanishing and Barbara’s death, and Steve became more than just a peripheral figure in her life. 

Still, she wouldn’t have considered Steve a friend until the winter of their senior year, after things with the Upside Down flared again on the anniversary of Will’s vanishing. It’s hard not to be friends with someone you decided to face off demodogs and did their best to protect her brother from a racist asshole.

A soft spot formed for the former king of Hawkins High, and they even attended Prom together as friends. 

Though their relationship didn’t really change until after the Russians and the Mind Flayer at Starcourt Mall. Knowing the history with his family, she had gone to check up on him, considering the beating he got from the Russians, and the comfort turned to soft caresses with a promise not to make things weird. 

No commitment, no implication; it could be a repeat thing. 

And it was fine for Camille. 

Things weren’t awkward when he came over to help Lucas practice basketball, or when he held movies for her family at his new job at Family Video. He had become a weekly fixture at their Sunday family dinner and at watching a sports game with her dad. 

And things were okay - good. On the occasion, her parents and siblings were out of the house, she would invite Steve into her room. If she had free time and happened to swing by on his lunch break, she was very familiar with every indent in the backseat of his Beamer. 

And the best part was no one had any suspicions, although Robin had put two and two together since she and Steve were attached at the hip. 

Still, she didn’t feel the need to label anything. When she started community college, she told him she wasn’t keen on the Hawkins dating pool, but if he wanted to date around, she wouldn’t stop him; she wouldn't be sleeping with him if he was active in it.

He didn’t voice any objection and only offered to make her breakfast.

And Camille told herself that was fine. She didn’t really expect anything from Steve Harrington.  

Yet, when Vecna had emerged and pushed all of them together, seeing Steve and Nancy interact, all of a sudden, she felt like a placeholder. 

There was a softness to Steve’s voice when he spoke to Nancy. His body seemed to navigate to hers. She also couldn’t ignore how quickly he volunteered to be in her proximity in some ways. 

It ached in ways Camille didn’t want to decipher. Yet, even the ache didn’t stop her from letting Steve Harrington between her sheets. With everything that has happened with Eddie dying and Max in a coma, she didn’t question it when they didn’t even have sex, and he simply held her during the night. 

Just what went on at night didn’t change what happened during the day. 

Camille isn’t blind to the very obvious differences between her and Steve. 

Their skin color is the main one. She didn’t think Steve treated her any differently, but living in Hawkins long enough had taught her about microaggressions and underhanded comments. She couldn’t help but be on edge, considering who his parents were. It wasn’t as if his family threw holiday parties or were in a tax bracket that invited diversity in their circles. 

Camille typically wasn’t one to feel insecure. Yet, as she watches Steve and Nancy stand together, she can’t help but think that she and Steve don’t fit. 

Where Nancy is thin, with intricately styled brown hair, is smart, and is his known first love, and white, Camille is brown-skinned, with thick thighs and waist, and loud with her style and makeup, she doesn’t fit neatly under Steve’s arm as Nancy did - does. 

She thinks it is hard to even try to compete with a ghost. 

Worse, she knows she has no right to feel anyway. She and Steve weren’t boyfriend and girlfriend. He didn’t need to show any loyalty to her. 

Yet, she can’t help but feel a bit of jealousy, especially as she watches the way Steve interacts with the skinny brunette and how Jonathan reacts. 

She tries to write it off as if Jonathan’s emotions are attached to the fact that Steve and Nancy were once an item. Considering their constant hovering around Nancy, maybe there was some merit to Jonathan’s worries that wasn’t attached to insecurity, especially after their pissing contest today with Nancy in climbing the tower. 

Maybe she isn't seeing things. 

Camille is quiet as Steve takes them back to the radio station. 

There wasn't much to say after Steve and Jonathan blew up at each other after Steve suggested they swing by the hospital to check on Nancy due to the attack on her parents and Holly. Then the cherry on top had been watching him be smacked in the face of the past with a jaded sibling of a potential fling.

However, the van has since been encased in a tense silence once Dustin appeared bruised and battered, with the boy trying to claim he fell off his bike. 

She didn't even have to be privy to the cold front that had taken over Steve and Dustin's relationship to know it was a severe lie and another crack in Steve’s attempt to be supportive and just there. 

It's not surprising that after they regroup, Dustin leaves with Jonathan for a ride home. Lucas had already headed to the hospital to check on Max and Mike. 

Still, she doesn't know why she felt so surprised when Steve openly grabbed her hand and led her to his Beamer. She felt Robin's eyes on them the whole time, especially as Steve opened her door, ensuring she was buckled in and then peeling out of the lot. 

She had thought he would drop her off at home, but he made the familiar turns to his. Words aren’t said between the two while Steve keeps a tight grip on her plushy thigh. Just from his grip and the clench of his jaw, she imagines it’s going to be one of those nights where they don’t make it to his bedroom. 

He might take her against the floor in the foyer, or maybe in the kitchen, but she nixes that idea, as he has been chomping on his Boppers. His diet has been shit since the quarentine and for some reason Boopers are filling for him. 

Yet, the stiffness of his shoulders, the way his thumb keeps tapping the steering wheel, she thinks it may go a different way. The way that leaves her legs trembling and having to sit on a pillow afterwards. 

Steve pulls up into his big, empty house. He mentioned that his parents were basically done with Hawkins and might not even come back once the quarantine is lifted. 

Despite his apparent irritation, he still opens her door before leading her into his house. She takes off her shoes by the door while Steve locks it. She expects to feel his warmth behind her, the grip of his fingers, but she is encased in silence. 

She turns around and finds him staring at her in silence. The gaze is heavy - undoing. 

Her skin becomes hot. “You alright?”

He doesn’t answer her right away. Instead, she finds his eyes undressing her. Eventually, he rolls his shoulders before throwing his keys in the bowl on the accent table. 

“You didn’t say anything in the car to Jonathan.”

Camille brows furrow. “What do you mean?”

Steve shrugs his jacket off as he walks to the kitchen and places it on the back of one of the barstools. “When he tried to chew my head off for trying to be a friend to Nancy.”

She is silent as she watches Steve grab a glass and fill it with water. 

“What did you expect me to say?” She asks quietly. She didn’t think she had any weight in the fight. She didn’t have the right to get between him and Jonathan. If anything, it felt like whatever was brewing between them had been a long time coming before the boy had moved to California. Besides, it wasn’t as if Steve made a big declaration about her to Jonathan. 

Steve takes a big sip of his water before he places it on the marble counter. The sound echoes like a gunshot. 

“Come ‘ere.”

Despite the softness of his tone, she knows it is a command. It is also the tone he uses with her when she is under him, so she hates that it already has butterflies forming in her tummy. Yet, she complies with the demand without restraint. 

Though she doesn’t crowd him or press against him as she usually does in private. She gives a few feet between them. His frown is instant, and he is quick as his fingers loop in the belt loop of her jeans and make her flush against him. Her senses are invaded by the smell of something woodsy, citrus, and all of him. 

His lips ghost over her forehead. “Do you agree with him?”

“Steve…”

She feels him stiffen. “So you think I still have feelings for Nance?”

Camille can't hide her wince at hearing Nance, not Nancy. The nickname suggests a familiarity that can’t be erased. 

Steve pulls back, and Camille finds herself forced to look at him as he cups her face. He doesn't say anything as he stares directly into her eyes, searching for something, and whatever he finds, he doesn't like. 

“Christ,” his hands drop, and his warmth turns cold. He tries to move, but Camille is quicker, wrapping her arms around him. 

“Steve…”

He stills, but doesn't fight her hold. 

“You love her, right?” She asks in his chest, scared to see the truth in his eyes. 

“I loved her once. She's just a friend.”  His arm wraps around her shoulders, and she feels his nose on the crown of her head. “Where is this coming from?”

Camille squeezes her eyes as she thinks about last year. The softness in his eyes as he looked at Nancy. 

“You told her you wanted 6 kids.”

What she doesn't expect is the man to start laughing. His body loosens, and despite the many injuries and suspected concussions she thinks he had, Steve does have a quick reaction time. 

She barely has time to be embarrassed or irritated. He is laughing at her when his hands move to her thighs and quickly lift her to where she switches spots with him. She is sitting on the countertop where he once stood. 

“Camille, babe, I told her I wanted that with you.”

“What?”

Steve presses a kiss to her nose, amusement clear in her features, but Camille isn't amused when he tries to kiss her lips, and she pushes him back. “Explain.”

“After we broke up, Nancy and I didn’t really share the same space, ya know. So when all that happened, I could tell she was on eggshells, so I knew I needed to clear the air.”

“So you tell her that you wanted 6 kids -”

“With you,” he interjects. 

Camille glares. “But you never said anything to me. You know the girl you apparently want to impregnate 6 times.”

“There could be twins.” He mutters. 

“Steve!”

Steve bites his lip. “Do you not want kids?”

“You never even asked for me to be your girlfriend.”

Steve looks at her with wide eyes and an even more infuriating doopy smile. “What do you think we have been doing for the past year and a half?”

Camille scowls at him, and Steve tries to kiss it away, to even more annoyance, with success. 

Kissing Steve is always breathtaking, the way he molds his pink lips against hers. He is able to nip at her own lips so gently with a tease of pain. She becomes easily compliant against him, and he smiles against her lips before he pulls back. His own lips are slick and swollen. 

“I love you, ya know,” he tells her softly. “I think I loved you since you allowed me to take you to prom, honestly.”

Camille’s eyes soften as she thinks about prom. She knows his break-up with Nancy had changed him. Where he was magnetic and thriving in the eyes of others, the once King who roamed the halls turned into a recluse. 

Where he had sat with Nancy and some of her friends and his sports teammates, he had migrated to sitting with her and her cheerleaders. They had a similar schedule, and it really wasn’t until then that she realized how many classes the two shared together, as he had shyly asked her for help in their classes.  

A friendship had bloomed slowly and steadily. And when he had asked her to the prom, she didn’t see a reason to say no. She didn’t have a date. Though she remembered the corsage he had gotten her, the way he had promised her dad she would be home safe and sound, and how he had looked so happy in the pictures and made her feel like the only girl in the world, she had thought whoever Steve settled with would be lucky. 

It made her wonder how Nancy left him for Jonathan. 

Especially because every time she came over, he always had not only her favorite snacks but also Lucas's and Erica's. He even took the time to figure out her favorite hair and skin care products to keep at his own place when she is over, before romantic feelings became involved. 

Most importantly, Steve has always been so supportive with everything she does, from school to figuring out her career path, and for letting her be unapologetically her.  

It makes her realize love isn’t this loud, crashing meteor that uproots and tilts a world, making people dizzy. It’s a warm, glowing ember that takes time and care. It’s steady. 

“I love you too,” she tells him with a smile, which he eagerly responds to with quick kisses to her lips, cheeks, and wherever she has exposed skin. 

Though she pulls him back by his hair gently. “Six kids are a lot, Steve. I can meet you halfway at 3, maybe 4,” she concedes. 

“As long as I can get one, I’ll be happy, babe.” He tells her excitedly as he wraps her legs around his waist. She can feel him between her legs, and she knows how this is going to end as she wraps her arms around his neck for him to carry her. 

“You know this makes you my girlfriend now,” he tells her cheekily. 

Camille snorts. “I think I am more than that, buddy. I just agreed to be your baby mama.”