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(for duty)
They had been invited to a TriKru congress, where all the clan’s would vote on allowing SkaiKru into the alliance. Lexa was hopeful, she told them over dinner last night, but some clans were volatile and made decisions spur of the moment. In the end it would Lexa’s decision, as Heda, but she would only vote them in if a majority of clans agreed.
Bellamy and Clarke had decided to include themselves as much as possible, to impress the clans enough that they wanted them. Every time they were invited somewhere they went, and tonight was no exception. There was a large dinner and party, with dancing and drinks. In the morning there would be a vote, so this was their last chance.
“We need to dance.” Clarke walked up to Bellamy, dodging spinning people who were involved in some intricate dance that he didn’t know.
“Neither of us know this dance. We’ll make a fool out of ourselves.” He scoffed and took a sip of the wine he was given.
“And they’ll see we’re willing to learn. Come on.” She grabbed his hand and tugged, dragging him towards everyone. A few people came over and started teaching them the dance.
Soon, they were pulled fully into the dance, spinning and jumping, and Bellamy lost sight of Clarke. He had grown to care for her, spending pretty much every waking hour together since they had decided to lead 2 months ago, so losing her in this crowd made his heart pound in fear.
She appeared in front of him, a whirlwind of blonde hair and blue eyes, and the way she was smiling made him feel unsteady. He was struck with an immediate desire to brush her hair away from her face and to kiss that smile, her eyelids, her cheeks, everywhere.
“Are you okay?” She led him off the dance floor, noticing him looking distant. The way she was looking at him now was even more dangerous. Her hand brushed through his hair, and her eyebrows were gently furrowed.
“Yeah, I’m just…nervous.” He covered up, smoothly he hoped. Surprisingly she sat down next to him and leaned into his side so their knees and shoulders were touching.
“Me too. But we’ve done everything that we can. Want to just have fun tonight?” She looked hopefully at him. He nodded in agreement, because when it came to making her happy, he learned there was pretty much nothing he wouldn’t do.
(for fun)
It had been a month since they were voted into TriKru and life was finally calm. They had created some buildings, had a functional mess hall, and Clarke’s med-bay was almost done. Bellamy and Clarke still worked constantly. They had designs to approve, parts of the treaty to litigate, and also make sure the camp was running smoothly. So while everyone else was out by the fire pit, having a relaxing night off, they were in the mess hall trying to figure out where to put their crops, what to plant, and how to store it. It was dark outside now and they’d been working on this since midday at least.
They had decided on corn, wheat, and some vegetables, and had just finished writing letters asking the other members of the coalition for seeds when Octavia and Jasper burst into the room.
“You have been working too hard! Come on! The people need to see their leaders!” Like a whirlwind they pulled Bellamy and Clarke up and basically frog marched them outside.
It was a beautiful sight. Some of the kids were using the instruments they had found in one of the bunkers, and music filled the air. The fire was burning strongly, making everything glow. People were dancing and singing, and it made Clarke’s heart soar.
Cups of moonshine were shoved into their hands by Monty, as he told them that they were not leaders tonight, but instead just kids. They shrugged and downed the drinks in unison. They could be kids for a night.
A few cups later and they were both smiley and looser than they had been since they placed the weight of the world on their own shoulders. The musicians started on a song that was slow and wistful, as Bellamy walked up to Clarke.
“Want to dance?” He asked, and in that moment it hit her. She loved him. My god, she was an idiot. But she nodded anyway and took his hand, letting him take the lead. He held her hand with one of his and placed the other on her waist. She placed her free hand on his chest as he pulled her closer to him, so her head was resting just above his heart.
“Can you believe we did this?” She whispered, not wanting to break the moment. He rested his chin against the top of her head and she felt him smile.
“Who would’ve thought that the Princess and the janitor would end up leading together.” She laughed a bit, remembering how much they hated each other when the drop ship first came down.
“I’ve been thinking…” She started, only to be stopped by Bellamy unexpectedly spinning her.
“Tonight is not a night for thinking. We can think tomorrow.” She relented and settled back against his chest, listening to his heartbeat.
(for teaching)
Octavia had announced her engagement to Lincoln only a few weeks ago, and preparations were well underway. They had met at a conference for everyone in the coalition that Clarke and Bellamy had brought Octavia too. Bellamy says that was the worst decision of his life. Clarke said that it had been 6 months since they came down, and that it was time for a big event. A wedding qualified.
Octavia wanted parts of it to be traditional, like having Bellamy walk her down the aisle, having a first dance with him, and wearing a white dress. The camp had been working diligently on all her requests, and Clarke was in her cabin now, working on the vows. Octavia and Lincoln had asked her to officiate, since she understood grounder culture and the weddings that they had on the Ark. Lincoln had given her some blessings he wanted said, and Octavia had given her some ideas, and now it was all on her. This was a quick engagement, and the wedding was next week.
Bellamy had been in fine form, grumpy at his sister getting married. But he’d agreed to everything she’d asked, because she was Octavia and he was a sap for her.
When he knocked on Clarke’s cabin door (they had cabins now, and it was amazing) she expected him to complain a bit more and then leave.
“I told Octavia I could waltz.” She raised one eyebrow and looked at him, “But I can’t. And since you grew up all rich, I figured you may know how to.” She brushed off the subtle diss and took a breath.
“You can dance.”
“Yes, I can sway. Octavia wants an actual dance with choreography and I told her I knew what I was doing but I don’t.” She would’ve teased him about it had he not looked so panicked.
“Okay. I know how to waltz.” She stood up and started pushing things around, moving her table and chairs so there was plenty of space.
“It’s fairly simple, whatever way my feet move, you do the opposite. I’ll lead for right now, and once you’re comfortable you can.” She placed one of his hands on her waist, ignoring the blush she felt rise up, and started counting. He was clumsy at first, looking at her feet only, but after a few minutes he picked it up.
She stuck with a simple box step, and decided that once he got that down they would try embellishments.
Eventually he was ready to lead and she was able to stop counting, trusting in his ability. He was looking in her eyes, and she was unable to look away. She opened her mouth to say something but he spun her out and around and then suddenly pulled her in.
The waltz hold was broken, and she was flush against his chest, two hands holding his shoulders. He was looking at her as though she hung the moon, and slowly his hands rose, one tangling itself in her hair and the other cupping her cheek so delicately it was like she was made of glass.
“Bell…” She whispered as his forehead rested against hers. He was so close now she could count his freckles, see the flecks of gold in his eyes, and she wanted to stay like this forever.
“Tell me I’m not the only one feeling this.” He pleaded, his voice barely audible.
“You aren’t.” Her voice broke, and he smiled a bit before placing his lips on hers.
It was like everything came crashing into place.
(for family)
Clarke had danced during labor, head on Bellamy’s shoulder as they swayed to a song only they could hear. She had danced throughout the pregnancy, always moving so that she could feel their baby move.
Now, their daughter had been here for a full moon cycle. One month of dirty diapers, sleepless nights, cracked nipples, and all three of them crying randomly. There had been a whole celebration with all of SkaiKru. Bellamy, Clarke, and Aurelia had all worn flower crowns that the younger kids had made, and Lincoln gave an old Grounder blessing that was given to all babies when they reached one month.
At the end of the night they stood together in Clarke and Bellamy’s room. He was holding Aurelia against his chest with one arm, and holding Clarke with the other. They danced around the room, sometimes spinning, sometimes just swaying together.