Till Dawn (HS)

xx

Warning: death mention

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It was the first day of spring.

Clara woke up to the starlings outside her window. An arm was draped over her waist and something fuzzy was pressed into her shoulder- it was Harry's jaw, the hairs peppered over it brushing against her smooth skin. The blaring sunlight was filtered through the window to cast a white glow in the room, and making Clara sigh in content as she let her eyes flutter open.

This was how she could imagine herself waking up for the rest of her life- sunlight pooling over her face, her silky smooth legs entwined with Harry's under the blanket, the growl of her tummy as she sat up and became excited over what she would make for breakfast. Her cheeks were splashed with a lively shade of coral, complimenting the specks of green in her eyes that seemed to grow along with the grass outside. She smoothed her dainty fingers through her hair and glanced down at the body that was laying sprawled out on the bed. She had gotten so used to sleeping in the same bed as him that she couldn't imagine not having the heavy dip in the mattress beside her through the night- it just wouldn't feel right.

Clara fondly caressed his cheek before slipping out of the bed. Her shift was early today, and it was long, but she didn't mind it one bit. She was growing accustomed to her new job at Blue Hill, and even though it wasn't where she saw herself building her final career, she enjoyed it. Clara got along with the other chefs (there was this one girl who she didn't particularly care for, perhaps because she smiled too widely at Harry whenever he was there). She had quickly become the queen of the kitchen, settling in as a leader due to her naturally forward personality; it helped that her culinary skills were unrivaled, too.

The only downside to working was that it meant she didn't see Harry for six to eight hours, and sometimes she grew antsy without hearing his voice for that long.

Clara ended up fixing up an omelet for herself. Maggie was hugging her calves as she stood by the stove top, humming to herself. She would have woken Harry up if it weren't for his recent request to not be dropped off at the hospital. Clara had previously given him a ride there on her way to work, and then picked him up afterward.

"I want to walk there," Harry had said to her one day. "I'm used to working out all the time. I feel gross sitting around now."

Clara didn't quite like the idea of him walking all the way there- it was at least an hour long. "How about you walk there, and I pick you up still?" she had negotiated. Her worry was constantly lingering in the back of her mind: what if he got hurt and no one was there to help him? What if he got lost? What if some stalker followed him all the way there and then tried to...

Clara had to take deep breaths and remind herself that living in fear wasn't really living at all. They agreed on that compromise about a week ago- Harry walked there so he didn't feel so cooped up, and Clara picked him up from the hospital after her shift.

Clara flipped her omelet over when she suddenly felt a hand press against the dip of her waist, startling her and nearly causing the spatula to tumble from her clutch. She spun around to meet a pair of hooded green eyes, foggy with lingering sleep.

"Morning," Harry greeted lowly, before dipping his head down to give a lazy kiss to her lips, slow and short, but warm enough to make Clara smile when he pulled away. Her hands settled against his shoulders and she sighed.

"Morning. Did I wake you? I tried to be quiet," she frowned.

Harry shrugged, "I reached for you in my sleep, I think. I woke up when I felt you weren't there. It's okay."