Chapter Text
In complete and total honesty, she did not think it would actually happen. She's left her fair share of comments on social media posts of her favorite celebrities over the years. On rare occasions, they'd like her comment or leave some kind of generic response. But certainly, none of them have ever DMed her. Until Bellamy Blake, that is.
Bellamy Blake is one of those celebrities that she's seen in movies every few years since she was a preteen, and admires his work, but isn't a diehard fan of. He's not quite an A-list celebrity yet, despite how long he's been at it, but he's got his own very dedicated fan base.
She's not one of his die-hard fans, but she does follow his Instagram account, mainly because she likes the way he frames the majority of his photos. And as an Art Major, she was bound to take notice of that.
It certainly helps that he's extremely handsome. He tends to post a lot of shirtless pictures of himself, which he's claimed in interviews is due to his friend that seemingly has no boundaries. She'd be lying if she said she didn't stare the first time she saw one. How could she not? She is human after all.
His is one of the few accounts she hasn't written a comment on. She's liked many of his photos but has never left a comment. She just never felt the need to do so.
And then she goes through a breakup that leaves her feeling miserable beyond belief because it would have been their anniversary. And Bellamy's latest post just so happens to be a selfie with the sun shining brightly behind him.
Finally have a weekend off in what feels like an eternity. Any suggestions on ways to experience Mother Nature in all her beautiful glory?
Deep down, she knows that she probably isn't the first person to leave a comment like she does. That hers most definitely isn't the first comment of its type. But she leaves it anyway.
Wanna come egg my ex's house with me this weekend?
She isn't expecting a response. And she definitely isn't expecting that response to be a private message from one Bellamy Blake himself.
I appreciate the bluntness of your request. When and where should I meet you?
It has to be a joke. He's joking back with her, right? Because no celebrity in their right mind would agree to go egg the house of a random stranger just because another random stranger asked them to.
But she responds to him anyway.
Uh...Arkadia Park? 11 pm on Friday?
Sounds great.
She's not expecting him to show up. She figures it's one of those things said in passing to appease the fan that will get lost in the rest of his messages as the days go on.
So she enlists the help of her new friend Raven to help her out with the egging. Having the same boyfriend is not the way that she expected to make a friend, but here she is. And she learned very quickly that Raven does not do well as a countermeasure for doing stupid things. She encourages her, most of the time. And seeing as Finn is Raven's ex too, the dark-haired mechanic is more than willing to go do some late-night egging.
"Why exactly are we waiting here again?" Raven asks her as they sit on one of the benches at Arkadia Park. They're each nursing a cup of hot coffee since it's the middle of the fall, but one of the colder nights.
"We're just waiting for the right time," she explains, and not very well either. Raven's a smart person. She'll know something is up.
Clarke checks the time on her phone again before letting out a heavy sigh. 11:05. He's officially five minutes late. Not that she was expecting him to show. At all.
"Is it the right time yet?" Raven asks, taking a long sip from her coffee. "Because I'm all buzzed up on caffeine and more than ready to give that asshole something he deserves."
She nods. "Yeah. I don't know why I was waiting." She stands from the bench, dusts off the back of her jeans, and waits for Raven to stand before they start to make their way toward the car.
"Hope you're not planning on egging this ex without me. Because you specifically invited me and it would be very rude to just leave without me."
She freezes in her spot, taking in Raven's curious eyebrow raise before turning around to find him standing a few feet away. Bellamy Blake, in all his dark, curly-haired glory, wearing jeans and a black hoodie. He has a small package of toilet paper rolls tucked under one arm and three cartons of eggs under the other, looking completely eager and ready to go.
"I said eleven," slips past her lips before she can even think about it and she knows it sounds way ruder than it was supposed to be. But she just rolls with it. "You're late."
"I know," he replies, not bothering to comment on her rudeness. "My sister was giving me the third degree about where I was going so late. So I told her and she insisted that I bring toilet paper as well."
"I like the way your sister thinks," Raven speaks up from beside her. Then she lowers her voice and leans in close. "Clarke, how in the hell do you know Bellamy Blake?"
"I don't," she confesses. "I left a comment on his latest Instagram post inviting him to come egg Finn's place with me. I didn't think he was serious about coming."
Raven snorts. "Looks like he was pretty serious to me."
She rolls her eyes. "Yeah, I can see that." She forces her full attention back to Bellamy, shifting her body. "Sorry if I was rude before. I just didn't think you'd show up."
He shrugs. "I said I was going to."
"I know. I just…I thought it was one of those joke things that celebrities do where they kind of agree, but in reality, they don't follow through with it."
"We barely know each other yet you expected the worst from me? I don't know if I should be offended or not, Princess."
She quirks a brow at the nickname. "Princess?"
"That looked like a very exciting twenty-first birthday party. Never knew tiaras could be worn like that."
Her eyes go wide. "You went through my Instagram?"
He shrugs again. "Wanted to know what I might be getting myself into by agreeing to do this."
"Right. Well, you don't have to do this. You probably have better things to do with your weekend off."
He shakes his head. "You're not getting rid of me so easily, Princess. I made a commitment."
She huffs. "Fine. Have you ever egged anyone's house before?"
"Does it count if it was for a movie?"
"Sorry, no bueno," Raven pipes in. "Movie magic doesn't count. I'm Raven, by the way. I'm the other girl whose wool was being pulled over her eyes."
Bellamy's eyes go comically wide. "Wait, this guy was cheating on both of you with the other?"
"She was the longtime girlfriend, I was the other girl," Clarke explains, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible about it. "Neither of us had any idea until he got us each a present for Valentine's Day but the addresses got swapped by mistake. It wasn't hard to put two and two together."
Bellamy scoffs. "What an asshole."
"That's what I've been saying!" Raven exclaims excitedly. "He gets it, Clarke."
She eyes Bellamy carefully. "Yeah, I guess he does."
.
.
.
She's more than a little surprised when Bellamy follows her on Instagram the next day. The surprise continues when he likes some of her more recent photos. He probably deemed it less creepy now that they've actually met and hung out together.
Her surprise piques when he messages her on Instagram just a few hours after following her.
Hey. I know this may seem a little weird, but my sister really wants to meet you. You don't have to agree, but I know she'll send in as many embarrassing photos of me that she can find to websites and magazines unless I at least ask you.
She hesitates. But only for a moment. And then she replies. She definitely needs better impulse control.
I'd love to. Just send me the address and when to be there.
He replies almost instantly with the information and it definitely does not send a shiver down her spine at the thought that he may have been waiting with the message open for her to respond.
This is happening, though. She's going to meet Bellamy Blake's sister.
All she knows about his sister is that he picked out her name when she was born and that she's gorgeous. Other than that, she doesn't know much. Bellamy will occasionally post pictures of her, and she has her own Instagram but it's set to private. From what Bellamy has said in interviews, they're a lot closer now after a rough patch during Octavia's late teenage years. And from the smile he always has, she knows he's happy about that.
.
.
.
Eventually, the time of the meet-up rolls around and she finds herself just a little in awe of the house she pulls up to.
Arkadia isn't necessarily considered a small town, but it isn't much of a big city either. The houses are mostly modest-looking two stories with a yard and a garage. No cookie-cutter houses, but there isn't much of a variety either. But this house is a little more off the beaten path, and it's big. Almost mansion-like, but not quite.
She pulls up the driveway right behind an older car and shifts the gear into park. She sits for a moment admiring the architecture of the building before a voice pulls her out of her head.
"You gonna sit there all day, Princess, or are you going to come inside?"
She looks up to see Bellamy in the doorway to the house, dressed casually in jeans and a t-shirt, leaning against the frame with a smile.
"Just admiring the house."
"Octavia bought it. Well, she and her husband did. Come inside and I'll introduce you."
She follows him inside and the interior design is just as amazing as the outside. "This house is incredible."
"Thanks. You must be Clarke."
She tears her gaze away from the design of the room to see a young woman entering and approaching them. If she didn't know it before, she can tell just by them standing next to each other that they're related.
She offers the woman a smile. "I am. And you must be Bellamy's sister. Octavia, right?"
Octavia nods. "Yeah. I'm glad to finally meet the person that had my brother so occupied last night."
Her eyes go wide a fraction. "Oh. Did you want to hang out with him? Because I told him he didn't have to stay."
Octavia laughs. "No, it's fine. Bell came out here to stay with me for the weekend, but I was working most of the day yesterday. So I'm glad he found a way to entertain himself. Even if it was by egging a stranger's house at midnight."
"A stranger who performed a great injustice," Bellamy defends their actions from the previous night. "The proper punishment needed to take place."
Octavia snorts. "What are you now, a knight in shining armor?"
She smiles at seeing the siblings bickering. Growing up as an only child didn't leave her with a lot of moments like this. Of course, she always had Wells, but it's not the same as having an actual sibling.
Next thing she knows, she's being dragged through the house on a tour, Octavia's arm looped through hers as the woman tells her all about the house and her life.
"So Bellamy pretty much raised you, then?" she asks once they make it into the dining room where they'll be having lunch.
Octavia nods with a reminiscent smile. "Yep. He was the best mom and dad a girl could ask for. I was a pain in the ass and made things difficult for him a lot, but Bell was always there for me. Even when I didn't necessarily want him to be."
Clarke smiles over at Bellamy. "I'm impressed."
He shakes his head, one of his hands rubbing at the back of his neck. "O gives me too much credit."
"You raised me, Bell. You kept me out of the spotlight so I could have some semblance of a normal childhood while you were off making movies. And now I'm a grown woman starting my own family."
Clarke follows Octavia's gaze to where her hand is running over a small bump that she noticed earlier but chose not to comment on. "How far along are you?"
Octavia beams. "Just entered my second trimester."
"Wow. Congratulations. Do you know what you're having yet?"
"Thanks. And no, we don't," she says with a small frown. "Lincoln's been working all week but he'll finally be back on Monday so we'll get to find out then."
"That's so exciting. I'm sure Bellamy's excited to be an uncle."
Octavia laughs. "I thought Bell was going to have a heart attack when I told him. You should have seen the look on his face."
"You're my baby sister, O. I remember everything about you growing up."
"But I'm also a grown woman who's married now, Bell. You're gonna need to cut those apron strings sometime."
"Never."
Lunch with the Blake siblings is fun. Clarke finds out a lot more about Bellamy while they're eating than she ever would have known simply by watching his interviews. Octavia isn't shy whatsoever about telling Clarke all the stories that she can remember about Bellamy when they were younger, sparing no detail.
By the end of her time there, Clarke feels like she probably knows Bellamy better than some of his biggest fans claim to. Of course, she's most definitely going to go home and watch all of his movies now, just for the hell of it. Even some of the obscure ones he did when he was just starting out.
"I'm sorry that O was so...persistent about a lot of things in there," Bellamy apologizes when they're walking to her car.
She shakes her head and waves him off. "Don't worry about it. It was kind of nice to feel like I had a sister for a few hours."
Bellamy chuckles. "Well, you can steal her anytime you want. Pretty sure she found a way to get her number into your phone, which is her way of saying to keep in touch."
"I will definitely do that. Especially because I need to see pictures of that beautiful baby once he or she arrives."
"And I'm sure she'd be more than happy to share those with you." He shifts on his feet, his hands sliding into his pockets. "And uh, if you want, I could give you my number...in case you're ever in LA and need some good recommendations of where to go."
She smiles. "Such a gentleman."
He shrugs. "I do my best."
Laughing quietly to herself with a small shake of her head, she pulls out her phone and unlocks it before handing it over to him. "All yours."
He takes the phone and quickly inputs his number before handing it back over to her. "There you go. And now, if you want to give me your number then I can—"
"Nope."
"What?"
"Did you honestly think it'd be that easy?"
He laughs quietly. "Something tells me that you don't make anything easy, Princess."
"Not typically, no." She takes a deep breath and moves toward her car, climbing in and closing the door. She glances up out of the corner of her eye to see Bellamy still standing outside her car, his hands in his pockets, and his eyes watching her. She slides the keys into the ignition and turns them one notch to roll down the window.
"Can I help you with something?" she asks him, the small beeping from her car doing nothing to deter her.
"You didn't say bye."
She laughs quietly. "So you're one of those guys, then. Goodbye, Bellamy."
He smiles softly. "Goodbye, Clarke."
While there's a small part of her that's hoping he'll message her again, the larger part is constantly telling her to not hold out too much hope. And she really tries.
She also tries not to think about him that much over the rest of the weekend. Even goes on a date with a girl from one of her college classes, Lexa; a girl that she took notice of on the first day.
The date goes well, thankfully, and they're having dessert while mulling over the idea of going out again when a ping sounds from her phone. She apologizes profusely for the interruption before checking the message. Her eyes nearly bug out of her head when she sees that it's Bellamy again.
Since I don't have your number, I thought this would be a good way to reach you for the time being. I wanted to let you know that I made it safely back to LA and I hope to see you again the next time I'm in Arkadia.
She considers responding right away before remembering where she is. She locks her phone and looks up, smiling sheepishly. "Sorry. I thought I put this thing on silent."
"It's alright. Was it important? Do you need to go?"
She shakes her head. "No. It can wait. I'm having fun here with you."
"As am I."
The date ends with a promise of more dates to come and by the time she gets home she's almost forgotten about Bellamy's message. 'Almost' being the keyword.
Instead of opening Instagram back up to respond, she takes pity on him and opens up her text messages.
Got your message. Glad you made it home okay.
Seconds later she receives a new message.
Princess?
Hey .
They end up texting most of the night. Until she remembers that the next day is Monday and she has an early morning lecture to go to. She'd much rather continue texting him, though, that much she's sure of.
.
.
.
They continue to text each other as the weeks fly past and she goes on more dates with Lexa and they make their relationship official. She honestly really hopes that things continue to go well between them because she really likes her.
Unfortunately for her, though, Lexa announces that she has to go home for the Christmas holiday. Alone. Even though they've only been together for a short time, Clarke had been hoping to spend the holiday with her girlfriend. At least she has her mom and Wells to keep her company, though.
And Bellamy. Because Octavia is nothing if not persistent.
Bell's coming back here for Christmas. We don't usually do a lot, but you can come over if you need a place to hang out for a bit.
I know you're offering, but this feels like more of a demand than a suggestion.
It's like you get me.
You know where we live.
I do. But I'm also hanging out with my mom and best friend Wells for the holidays. And Raven's tagging along this year too.
Bring Raven and Wells with you if you want. Your mom probably wouldn't have any fun.
You're right, she wouldn't.
I'll ask them and get back to you.
Awesome.
Turns out, Raven and Wells are more than willing to join the party. Raven mainly wants to go so she can see Bellamy again and tease him and Clarke relentlessly for whatever reason that she won't say. Wells genuinely wants to hear from Bellamy why he agreed to go egg a stranger's house with another stranger.
"Damn, this is where the party is?" Raven questions as they pull up to Octavia's place.
Clarke nods, shifting the car into park. "Yeah. His sister and her husband live here. He's some kind of adventure writer for some website."
"Must pay good money if they can afford a place like this."
"Some of it is family money too," Clarke explains. "I think they said something about Lincoln's family having money, but he mainly wanted to pave his own way through life."
"I can respect that," Wells pipes in, a look on his face that Clarke knows all too well. They both grew up very well-off; both their parents are highly respected in their fields.
She and Wells bonded quickly as kids over the power that their parents held and how neither of them wanted to follow in their parents' footsteps as they got older, despite basically being groomed to do just that. So now Wells is off doing a lot of humanitarian work in his free time with little to no pay but still making an actual difference, and she is studying to become an artist. They're both doing what they love, despite what their parents tried to get them to do.
"Are we going to keep sitting here or are we going to go inside?" Raven asks, pulling her from her thoughts.
She nods, breathing deeply. "Right. Come on." She tugs her beanie down a little more as she steps out of her car, preventing the cool winter air from biting at the tip of her ears.
Before she can even knock on the door, it's yanked open to reveal a grinning Octavia on the other side, one hand resting on her baby bump.
"Clarke, you made it." The other woman immediately pulls her into a tight hug.
"Of course I did. You made it pretty clear that I had no choice in the matter." She glances behind her to see Raven and Wells making their way up to the house. "Octavia, these are my friends, Raven Reyes and Wells Jaha. Guys, this is Bellamy's sister, Octavia."
"So you must be the other girl that Clarke was telling me about," Octavia says as her eyes drift to Raven. "The one who was the actual girlfriend."
Raven's lips pull in tight and she nods. "That's me. I did love him once, but Finn's an ass."
"Too right. Any guy who would even think about cheating on someone as gorgeous as you needs to get his head checked."
Raven smirks. "I like you."
"I like you too."
"Can we come inside now?" Clarke asks. "I'd rather not freeze my ass off out here."
"Right, sorry." Octavia steps back and allows them to enter the house, letting Raven and Wells know where they can put their things.
"Princess."
Looking up, she can't help the smile that takes over her face when she sees Bellamy, an equally wide smile on his face. She's moving toward him instantly, her coat still halfway on her body, and he closes the distance between them with a hug. His arms wrap tightly around her, practically engulfing her, and she breathes deeply, relaxing into his hold.
Eventually, they break away from the hug and he's still smiling down at her, his arms hanging loosely around her. "It's good to see you again, Clarke."
"You too. How's LA?"
He shrugs, finally pulling his arms away and sliding his hands into his pockets. "It's LA. How've you been?"
"I'm good. I'm uh, I've started seeing someone."
"Really? That's great. What's his name?"
"Her, actually. And her name is Lexa. We have a class together, that's how we met."
"Oh, wow. Congratulations."
She smiles. "Thanks. I wish you could've met her while you're in town, but she had a family thing that she couldn't get out of."
"Next time."
"Definitely."
Thankfully, the rest of the day is a success and everyone gets along well with each other. And she's finally able to meet Octavia's husband Lincoln since he's always working but finally has some time off for the holidays. It makes her smile to see him and Octavia together, seeing how much they love each other and are both eager to be parents for the first time. She can already tell they're going to be great parents.
By the time she gets home that night, she's ready to fall into her bed and sleep for the entirety of the next day. She didn't drink a lot because she knew that she'd still have to drive home, but Raven certainly didn't hold back in her alcohol consumption. Which means she and Wells had to take care of her once they got back to the apartment.
As she's lying in bed, though, she takes a moment to go through Instagram, to see what's new. Her heart nearly stops when she sees Bellamy's newest post. It's a shot of them from earlier in the day. They're both laughing, his arm draped over her shoulders and her face tucked into his shirt, obscuring it from view.
Happy to see you again, Princess.
She likes his post but doesn't comment. She honestly doesn't know what to say.
Christmas comes and goes, and New Year's is just a few days away. And she hasn't heard anything from Bellamy since he posted his photo. To be fair, she probably could have texted him too, but she didn't know what to say.
Lexa's back in town for the new year, so it's just the two of them at Lexa's place, and they're having a pretty good time.
Just a few minutes before midnight she gets a new text from Bellamy.
I didn't want to start the new year off on a bad note. I hope you're not mad about the picture I posted. I know you liked it but I haven't heard from you since. I just wanted to make sure things are okay. I can take it down if you want me to.
No, you don't have to do that. I was a little surprised, but I promise you I'm not mad. I didn't say anything because I wasn't expecting it and didn't know what to say.
So we're good, then?
Yeah, we're good.
Great. Then I hope you have a happy new year, Princess.
Thanks, Bellamy. You too.
"Who's that?"
"Hmm?" She glances up to see Lexa looking at her pointedly, her eyes flitting down to the cell phone Clarke's holding. "Oh, uh, it's just a friend. Wishing me a happy new year."
"Which friend?"
"You haven't met him. We met in October. He's pretty cool. Well, he likes to think he is." She laughs quietly and sets her phone aside. "But no more talk about others. Right now, it's just me and you, and it's almost the new year. I don't know about you, but I think this is going to be a pretty good year for us."
Lexa smiles at her. "So do I."
They share a long kiss at the stroke of midnight, basking in the glow of happiness of just being with each other.
.
.
.
Unfortunately, that happiness with Lexa is very short-lived. She doesn't even know what went wrong. Lexa gave her no indication of how she could fix things, simply broke things off saying it wasn't going to work, so there goes that relationship that she was actually really happy with.
She cries, of course. She calls her mom and hashes out the whole thing. Their relationship became strained after her dad died, but they've both been trying to do better lately. So she's glad that she's able to call her mom in a time like this and have her actually listen.
Raven finds her curled up into a ball on the couch when she stops by after work. So she sits with her for a minute and then texts Octavia. Who in turn texts Bellamy.
Which results in Clarke curled up into a ball in her bed rehashing the whole ordeal to Bellamy over FaceTime. He's completely patient and understanding the entire time. He lets her cry, doesn't interrupt, and doesn't try to offer any advice. It's perfect.
She texts him later after she's cried everything out.
Thank you.
I'm always here for you, Princess.
And he is, despite living on opposite sides of the country. And even though he's always busy furthering his career, he always makes sure to answer her texts the second that he has a chance. It always makes her smile. And Raven loves to tease her about it. Well, she waits for a while until Clarke is feeling better after her breakup.
.
.
.
Since Bellamy's living on the other side of the country and can't be there for his sister like he wants, Clarke had promised to send him updates whenever she can. When she's not working or in classes, she spends her time with Octavia and helps her and Lincoln get ready for the baby. Octavia even manages to rope her into painting a mural on the walls of the nursery, so she's having fun with that. She puts music on and dances around the room as she paints, having the time of her life.
"Lunch break?"
Spinning around quickly, careful not to splatter paint anywhere that it shouldn't be, she smiles at Octavia standing in the doorway with a tray of food in her hands.
"Hey. Should you be up and walking around right now?"
Octavia shrugs, setting the tray down on the dresser just inside the door. "I'm pregnant, not an invalid. Besides, Raven told me that when you get into your painting mode you tend to forget to eat."
Clarke laughs quietly, setting down her paintbrush and moving toward the other woman. "Guilty as charged." She picks up one half of the sandwich and takes a bite out of it, moaning immediately at the different flavors that assault her taste buds. "Oh wow. This is amazing."
"Thanks. Lincoln took me to some pretty exotic places because of his work when we first started dating, so I've gotten to taste some incredible dishes. I've been experimenting with recreating the dishes and putting my own little spin on them."
"Well I think you've mastered this one," Clarke tells her around a mouthful of the sandwich. "It is really good."
Octavia smiles. "Thanks. I love how the mural's coming along, by the way. It's going to look amazing when it's done."
Clarke sighs as she leans against the dresser. "I hope so."
After she finishes eating and talking with Octavia, she continues painting for a few more hours before leaving to go home. She takes a picture of her progress, as she always does whenever she's creating something new. It really is coming along nicely and she's excited for it to be finished.
.
.
.
It's about five in the morning when her phone starts ringing a few weeks later. She doesn't have to be up yet, so it takes her a minute to answer whoever is calling.
It turns out to be Lincoln. Octavia's in labor and Bellamy can't get a flight out for a few more hours. So Octavia wants Clarke there. She is more than happy to oblige the other woman who became such a fast friend.
Clarke's never actually witnessed a live birth before. She's seen them on TV in the past, but it's always been the before and after of it all, or a montage with music and other images over top. It's never been the full thing in color with no background music.
But Octavia's a champ. She's honestly so proud of the younger woman and can't help the tears that run down her face at the beauty of the whole thing.
She's held plenty of babies over the years, considering her mom was a doctor and she often helped out in the NICU whenever she got the chance. So she's able to hold the newborn baby in one arm while taking a selfie of the two of them to send to Bellamy.
Your nephew can't wait to meet you.
She gives the small family some time to be alone once she's sure that both Octavia and the baby are fine. She gets a new text from Bellamy as soon as she steps into the waiting room.
Wow. He's so beautiful. I'm actually on my way to the airport now. Managed to catch an earlier flight.
Octavia will be happy to hear that. See you soon.
She texts Raven and Wells next, letting them know that the baby was delivered safely and that everyone's doing well.
She decides to sit for a minute in the waiting room and relax after the excitement of the last few hours. She chooses her social media to pass the time, scrolling aimlessly through her Instagram feed. She pauses when she reaches a new post from Bellamy, a smile growing when she sees that he used the picture she sent him, her face cropped out of it.
I'm an uncle now. Can't wait to meet this little guy and shower him with love.
Thanks for the photo, Princess. :)
She likes the photo but doesn't comment. And after scrolling through some of the comments already left on his post, it's probably a good thing that she didn't. People are trying to figure out who she is; they've made the connection between the two photos he's posted of her, and the nickname 'Princess'. She's beyond grateful that he hasn't tagged her in either photo. She doesn't want that kind of attention from his fans, at least not right now.
It's roughly six hours later when Bellamy finally arrives at the hospital, rushing in completely out of breath but with an eager smile on his face.
"Where are they?" he asks her immediately.
"I'll take you." She leads him down the hallway to Octavia's recovery room and the big grin he gets on his face at seeing his sister and his nephew is priceless. She manages to snap a quick photo of the scene, which she hopes he'll be grateful for later.
She nudges him forward and then stands back with a wide smile as she watches Bellamy meet his nephew, wanting to give the small family a moment alone.
But then Octavia calls her over to join them. So she ends up standing right next to Bellamy, staring down at the beautiful baby boy in his arms, and everything about the moment just feels right.
.
.
.
Bellamy stays in town for a few days, wanting to help out Lincoln and Octavia as much as he can before he has to go back to LA. Clarke thinks it's adorable, Octavia not so much.
"In case you're forgetting, O, I did practically raise you myself," he points out eventually, watching Octavia rock her sleeping son in her arms.
Octavia sighs. "Yeah, I know, Bell. But you don't need to hover. I'm a big girl, I can figure things out."
"But I just—"
"Hey, Bellamy," Clarke says, choosing that moment to finally intervene. "Octavia probably wants to spend some time alone with James, so why don't we go do something for a bit?" She doesn't let him answer, simply grabs his wrist and tugs him toward the front door. She smiles and nods when Octavia gives her a grateful smile.
They end up walking around outside for a while, neither of them saying anything for a good portion of the time. They just walk and listen to the ambient noises around them.
"I just want her to do a good job," Bellamy confesses eventually with a heavy sigh. "Our mom wasn't around when O was a kid. She was there, but she wasn't…there. So I did a lot of the heavy lifting when it came to taking care of her. I was pretty much riding by the seat of my pants, figuring things out as I went, doing a lot of research, and asking anyone I could what to do. I felt lost a lot of the time. I just don't want Octavia to feel that way."
"She won't," Clarke does her best to reassure him. "She has Lincoln and she has you. But you probably need to learn to back off just a little. I've never been in her situation before, but I'm pretty sure that feeling a little lost is a natural part of parenting."
"I guess so."
She smiles and rests a hand on his arm. "Hey, I think it's sweet how much you love your sister and your nephew. And I'm sure deep down Octavia loves that you want to help. She's probably just a bit overwhelmed by all of this. She's a new mom, you've got to give her some time to get her bearings."
He nods. "Right, yeah."
The next two days that he's there, she can see that he does his best to not be too overbearing. Thankfully, Clarke's able to spend some time with him too, keeping him occupied while Lincoln and Octavia figure out the whole parenting thing for themselves.
But of course, they do see him off at the airport when it's time for him to head back to LA. He practically begs her to be there too, wanting to see her at the airport before he leaves.
He wraps her in a tight hug before he goes through the security check, and she's vaguely aware of Octavia muttering something under her breath.
"I'm gonna miss you, Princess."
She smiles against his chest. "I'm going to miss you too."
Later that night, she's scrolling through Instagram and sees one of the pictures she took and sent to Bellamy of him holding his nephew at the hospital and it makes her heart swell.
Been fun getting to know this amazing kid over the last few days. So proud of my sister for delivering such an incredible kid. I love you both. Sad to be leaving, but I'll be back soon.
Once she's done with school for the year, she decides to take a trip out to LA to surprise Bellamy. They text each other and talk all the time and she knows that he doesn't have anything he's currently working on. So she won't be getting in the way of anything. She hopes. She's never done anything like this before. But Bellamy is her friend and she wants to know more about his world.
She gets his address from Octavia because she knows it'll be suspicious if she asks Bellamy, and then she's on her flight. She's nervous, to say the least. Yes, they're friends, but she's about to surprise him where he lives just for the hell of it, no real reasoning behind it.
When she lands, she sends a quick text to Octavia and Raven, letting them both know that she's safe. And then she's off to Bellamy's place.
She has her Uber driver drop her off about a block away from Bellamy's house. She doesn't want him to see that she's coming, wanting it to be a surprise. And if word somehow gets out that she's been to see Bellamy, she doesn't want anyone being able to figure out where he lives simply from one Uber ride.
She's a giant bundle of nerves when she finally reaches his place and knocks on the door, mainly because she's never done something like this and she honestly doesn't know what possessed her to do it. But here she is.
She's seconds away from calling another Uber and getting on a plane back home when the door opens, ruining any plans she had on being a coward.
"Clarke?"
She smiles nervously. "Hey, Bellamy. You said if I was ever in LA…" she trails off, partly because she doesn't know what to say next and partly because she knows he remembers their conversation from early on in their friendship.
"I did say that. Uh, come on inside."
She's in awe of his place, to say the least. It's nowhere near as over-the-top as some of the celebrity houses she's seen in videos online, but it's still amazing. The decor is minimalistic, in a very Bellamy-way. It's no surprise that he doesn't flaunt the money he has around his house. He told her that he was never into acting for fame and money. He does it because he loves it. The money is just a bonus, and it's nice to not have to stress about things financially like his family did when he was younger.
"So, what do you think?"
"I like it," she tells him honestly. "It's very you."
He laughs. "Alright, well, I'm free for the next few hours so how about I give you a tour, and then maybe we can grab a bite to eat."
"Sounds perfect."
After he shows her around his place, they end up at a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant. He explains that he found it on one of his many walks around the city when he first moved there and he's been going back ever since. He also points out that it's a great place for the two of them to be since not a lot of people know about it so there's no risk of them being seen together.
That comment hurts a little but she tries not to let it show. She knows they're friends, but does he seriously not want to be seen out in public with her? She decides not to dwell on that, though, so she shakes off the feeling and just focuses on having a good time with her friend.
Lunch goes well, and when they're finished, they head back to his place so they can relax a little more before he has to go to a meeting.
"So how long exactly are you in town for?" he asks her as they lounge on his couch with the TV on as background noise.
She shrugs. "Just a few days."
"I'm touched that you came out here just to see me, Princess."
She rolls her eyes but still has a smile. "Don't go getting a big head, you weren't the only reason I came out here. There's this art program I started looking into right before we met that I'm thinking about applying for after I graduate."
"So I'm just a side stop on your real mission, then."
"Of course."
They laugh together and she loves every second of it. She wasn't lying when she told him about the art program, she just didn't mention how she discovered the program right after they met instead of before, but he doesn't need to know that.
.
.
Her time in LA is much too short for her liking. She wanted to stay longer, but unfortunately, she still has a job back home and can't stay away for too long. But she wants to stay. She wants to stay in LA. With Bellamy. The thought scares her a little; she hasn't wanted to be around someone as much as she wants to be around Bellamy.
He drives her to the airport but says goodbye to her before she gets out of the car. He claims it's so he doesn't risk getting mobbed by fans and impede her from trying to catch her flight. A deep part of her fears that he just doesn't want to be seen in public with her.
She manages to push that feeling away when she's on the plane after takeoff and opens up Instagram, a picture of the two of them being one of the first things she sees. Her face is half-hidden, as it always is whenever he posts a picture of the two of them.
Surprise visits are the best. Miss you already, Princess.
.
.
.
She's on break at work when she gets a text from Raven about Bellamy. Raven got a lot more into Bellamy's work since they met all those months ago, and she's always keeping tabs on his new projects, claiming she's doing it for Clarke's sake.
Bellamy has a new interview up on YouTube. Pretty sure he talks about you. Unless there's another blonde girl he always features on his Instagram that neither of us knows about.
She doesn't waste time in opening up the link that Raven sent her. She tries to think of any upcoming movies he's doing that would require an interview, but she can't. It could just be a routine interview, to kind of keep him in the public eye while he's negotiating his next film.
The beginning of the interview is fairly boring in her opinion, nothing too exciting, just some rehashing of old projects Bellamy has done. But then the host switches gears to more personal questions and things get interesting.
"So, Bellamy, there's a rumor going around lately that you've got someone new in your life."
He smiles. "Well, my sister did just have a baby not too long ago. But somehow, I don't think that's what you mean."
"No, it isn't. Though we are happy for you about that. How is it being an uncle?"
His smile widens immensely. "Oh, it's so great. I spent as much time with them as I could once my nephew was born before I had to get back to LA. But I've got a friend out there who's sending me pictures and updates whenever possible. I know my sister's busy being a new mom, so she doesn't have a ton of time to focus on sending me pictures."
"Right. And would this be the same friend who's appeared on your Instagram several times over the past few months, even though we've never seen her face in any of the pictures?"
Bellamy laughs, rubbing at the back of his neck. "I don't know how much I can say without her threatening to hurt me. No, we're just friends. We met a while back and she's not famous in any way, but I like that. She's easy to be around and she's very important to me. I love having her as a friend."
She honestly doesn't know how to feel after watching his interview. She has a whole slew of emotions coursing through her at hearing everything he said about her. And she doesn't know how to deal with any of them.
.
.
.
They haven't talked since she was in LA for those few days. They've texted, sure, but they haven't actually talked. He would try to initiate actual talking, but she always said she was busy getting ready for her final year of school. Well, that's what she told him. And it's partially true. But also she's still dealing with how she feels about his interview.
She thought she'd have a bit longer to figure things out, but she's wrong. Because in August, he comes down for Octavia's birthday. She's not surprised about it, but it still kind of shocks her into reality a little.
He manages to corner her at the party, sometime after it's started but before they've had cake. "If I knew better, I'd think you were trying to avoid me."
Their proximity to one another sends a chill up her spine but she shoves it away. She swallows thickly. "I'm not avoiding you. I've just been mingling with others."
"Oh, is that what they're calling it now?"
She rolls her eyes. "I'm not avoiding you, Bellamy."
"Could have fooled me. We haven't talked in a while, Princess. And we haven't been texting that much either. What's going on?"
"Nothing." She avoids eye contact as she sips the drink in her hand. She can feel his eyes on her, the music from the speakers and chatter from other party guests filling the space around them. "Why are you staring at me?"
"I'm just trying to figure out why you're mad at me."
"I'm not mad at you."
"You sure about that, Princess?"
She nods once. "Yes, I'm sure. I think I would know if I was mad at you."
"Maybe you just don't realize that you are."
"Are you trying to be insufferable right now?" she questions, finally turning to look at him.
He smiles. "Thank you for looking at me while we talk."
"Bellamy…"
He holds his hands up. "Whoa, hey, relax. I'm just trying to figure out what's going on in that head of yours."
"I'm not mad at you, I promise."
"So then what are you?"
She sighs heavily. "Confused? I don't know."
His brows furrow tightly. "Confused about what?"
"About us."
"What about us?"
"Are we friends?" she questions, her frustration over the situation slowly rising. "Because I think that we are. I like spending time with you, Bellamy, and I thought you liked spending time with me too. But then when I came to visit you in LA, you took me to a restaurant where no one would recognize you and see you with me. Not exactly the best way to go about a friendship with someone."
"I didn't want anyone to see you because I didn't want the paparazzi tracking you down and for fans to make assumptions about us."
"What kinds of assumptions?"
He shrugs. "The usual kind. That we're dating and madly in love."
"Would it really be so bad to be dating me?" she asks him, all her insecurities from her two most recent failed relationships coming to the surface yet again. What's so wrong with her that people leave or don't want to give her their whole heart?
"No, it wouldn't be," Bellamy says, pulling her out of her head. "I didn't mean for it to come out that way, I just...I've been in this industry for a long time now, and the only reason I would ever consider leaving it is if the exposure got to be too much for the people in my life who aren't actively in the spotlight."
"Really?"
He nods. "Yeah. It's a crazy world that I live in, Princess. I just wanted to shield you from as much of it as I could for as long as possible."
"Is that why you never show my face or tag me in the pictures you post of us?" she asks curiously, all the pieces finally starting to fall into place.
He shrugs, shifting on his feet. "I knew you'd see them. I just didn't want any of my fans attacking your page."
She smiles softly. "I'm a big girl, Bellamy. I can take care of myself."
"I know that."
"Listen, I knew there was a risk of me being thrust into the spotlight when we became friends. But I like being around you, Bellamy. Way more than I've ever liked being around anyone else."
"Even Wells?"
She laughs quietly. "I like being around Wells, but not in the same way I like being around you. It's different with you, Bellamy."
"And what exactly do you mean by that, Princess? Because I hear what you're saying, but it's not exactly doing much to clear things up. And I'm going to need some clarification if we—"
She knows it's ridiculously cliché for her to cut him off by kissing him, but she can't help herself. She'd be lying if she said she hadn't thought about doing this before.
She panics for a split second when he doesn't respond, but then one of his hands is on her lower back, pulling her closer, while the other is cupping the back of her neck. She reciprocates eagerly, both of her hands tangling themselves in his hair and tugging gently.
"Well, it's about damn time."
Quickly breaking apart, they both turn to see Octavia standing near them, a wide grin on her face as she holds her son on her hip.
"O," Bellamy says. "What are you doing over here?"
"I'm about to blow out the candles on my cake and I'd like for my brother to be present. And his...girlfriend…?"
They glance at each other, eyes wide and mouths open.
"We, uh, we haven't really talked about that," Clarke says to the other woman, glancing out of the corner of her eye at Bellamy again.
"I mean, I wouldn't mind it," Bellamy says, drawing her attention back to him.
Her brows furrow slightly. "Mind what?"
"If you were my girlfriend. If you wanted to be, of course. I like you, Clarke. I have since the day we met."
She smiles and nods. "Okay."
He quirks a brow. "Okay?"
She laughs and nods again. "Yeah. I'll be your girlfriend."
"Well, this is officially my best birthday ever."
.
.
.
Honestly, she's sad when Bellamy leaves for LA again. They just started dating and he's already leaving. That was part of her hesitation in even making a move on him in the first place, the fact that they live on opposite sides of the country.
"We'll make it work, Princess," he promises her for what feels like the billionth time as they're standing in the parking garage of the airport. They'd agreed to it in case he gets mobbed by fans or paparazzi. He never knows when it'll happen and would rather be on the safer side of things.
She sighs into his shirt, her arms wrapped tightly around him. "I know. You're too important to me to not make this work."
"You're pretty important to me too, Princess."
"Text me when you land?"
"Of course."
They share a lingering kiss before he's grabbing his suitcase out of the trunk of her car and making his way toward the actual building.
She watches him go, sad to be seeing him off, but glad that she's finally admitted her feelings for him.
It's hours later when she finally gets a text from him while she's sitting in her bedroom thinking about the upcoming school year.
Made it home safely.
Happy to hear it. :)
See you soon, Princess.
It's a bit of a rough patch at first, trying to make their relationship work long distance. It's a lot of fumbling around, missing phone calls and FaceTimes while they figure a lot of it out.
Within the first couple of weeks, she's almost ready to call their whole relationship off, tired of not being able to be near him when she wants to be. It was one thing when they were only friends, there was no pressure or any expectations. But now that they're dating, everything is elevated by a lot.
Raven's concerned for and about her, she knows that. Octavia is too.
On their one-month anniversary, they're still on opposite sides of the country. She pretty much breaks down, frustrated at the fact that she can't be with her boyfriend on their anniversary because she has school and she's pretty sure that he's busy filming a new movie.
Raven finds her and most likely tells Octavia because the next thing she knows she's getting a FaceTime call from Bellamy.
She doesn't bother making herself look more presentable. He's seen her like this before, she knows he doesn't mind.
"Hey, Princess. Somebody told me you're upset."
She sighs heavily. "It's been a month since we started dating and we're nowhere near each other. I hate to be that girl that whines about stuff like this…"
"There's nothing wrong with that. I'm a little upset by it too. But we knew what we were getting into when we started dating."
"I know. I just didn't think it would be this difficult. I miss you, Bellamy."
He smiles softly. "I miss you too. But we can make this work, Princess. Okay?"
"Okay."
The next month is the anniversary of when they met. So, of course, Bellamy posts something; one of the photos that Octavia probably took of them at her party. They're sitting on the couch together, her head resting comfortably on his shoulder. It's at an angle so that you can't see her face, but it's still one of her favorite photos.
A year ago today you were just another fan, randomly commenting on my Instagram asking me to do something crazy with you. And I agreed. You certainly were not what I expected.
Two months ago we got our acts together and so far they've been the best two months of my life, even if you are so far away.
Thanks for letting me be such a big part of your life, Princess.
Her heart swells with the words she reads and she really, really wishes that she was with him in person.
She texts him instead of commenting.
Saw your post. I loved it. Can't wait to see you again. I miss you.
I miss you too, Princess.
.
.
.
They do their absolute best to make their relationship work long-distance after that. It's still tough, but they both care about each other enough to do everything they can to make it work. They text nearly every day, and FaceTime at least once a week, sometimes more depending on their schedules.
It all works out pretty well, with only a few small hiccups and arguments over the next few weeks.
When Thanksgiving starts to roll around, she invites him to come home with her, to visit her family. She's only slightly nervous about it since they haven't been together for very long, but she knows he'll be in town anyway to visit Octavia.
"I know it might be weird," she tells him over FaceTime, "but I thought it might also be kind of nice."
"Are you sure about that?" he asks.
She shrugs, letting out a heavy sigh. "Not really. My mom can be...intense, to say the least. I know she wants what's best for me, but she hasn't always gone about it in the right way. She's still not entirely happy that I chose to go into the arts instead of medicine."
"She's crazy, then. Because you're an amazing artist."
She smiles. "I'm glad you think so." She takes a deep breath. "So I can count on you for Thanksgiving dinner, then?"
He nods with that smile she loves. "Absolutely."
And he's there, just like he said he would be. They decide to drive over together after his plane gets in, and seeing as they have a couple of hours to kill before needing to be at her mom's, they go visit Octavia first. Of course, she extends a last-minute invitation of having dinner with them at Clarke's mom's house, but Octavia kindly declines, stating that it's her son's first Thanksgiving and she wants it to just be their own little family.
Clarke spends a little time cuddling with James and then, eventually, they make it to her mom's place. She can immediately tell that Bellamy's nervous, so she reaches out to rest her hand on his arm and give it a little squeeze. "Hey, are you doing okay?"
He nods. "Yeah. Just...I'm meeting your mom. On Thanksgiving of all days."
Clarke smiles. "I know. I invited you. And you don't need to be so worked up about this, Bellamy. She's going to love you."
"I hope you're right about this, Princess."
So is she. Knowing her mom, this can go either way to the extreme, and she hopes it's in her favor this time around.
"Clarke, you're here."
She smiles at her mom once the door opens, accepting the hug and then stepping back to Bellamy. She grabs his hand in her own, giving it a small, reassuring squeeze. "Mom, this is my boyfriend, Bellamy Blake. Bellamy, this is my mom, Abby Griffin."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am," Bellamy says, holding out his other hand and giving her mom a polite smile.
"You as well, Bellamy. Though, I have to say I'm a little surprised to see Clarke has a boyfriend."
"We've only been dating for a few months," Bellamy tells her. "But we've been friends for just over a year now. I'm an actor, which is why neither of us posts too much about our relationship. We just want to keep it to ourselves for a little while longer, and I'd rather Clarke didn't get mobbed by fans and paparazzi every time she goes out, just because she's dating me."
Her mom smiles a genuine smile. "Well, that's very thoughtful of you, Bellamy. Why don't you two come inside? Marcus should be in the kitchen, Clarke, if you want to go and say hi and introduce him to Bellamy."
"Thanks, mom." She tugs on Bellamy's hand, pulling him with her inside the house.
"Who's Marcus?" he asks, leaning down toward her ear.
"Marcus Kane. Another politician. He was really good friends with my dad. They've never said it, but I'm fairly certain that he and my mom had a thing when they were younger before she met and then married my dad."
"Weird."
Clarke snorts. "Tell me about it. They've been seeing each other again for the last couple of years."
"That's nice for your mom."
"Yeah. And Kane's a nice guy too. I've known him pretty much my whole life. I'm sure he'll like you too."
And thankfully, he does. Marcus seems only slightly surprised that she's dating an actor, but he tells her that he's happy if she's happy.
The rest of their time spent at her mom's house goes fairly well. There's only a small interrogation on her mom's part during dinner, wanting to know just about everything she can about Bellamy. And Bellamy is more than willing to share his life story.
Clarke thinks it's sweet how polite and respectful he is toward her mom and Kane. He even called them "sir" and "ma'am" until they told him to call them by their first names.
By the end of the night, Bellamy has made plans to go golfing with Kane and his friends the next time he's in town, and he's complimented Abby's raising of Clarke so many times that she's lost count.
"You know," she says in the car on the way back to Octavia's to drop him off, "you did pretty well with my mom and Kane. I think they like you."
"That's comforting to know."
"I'm sure it is."
.
.
.
The beginning of December comes and goes and then Christmas is very quickly approaching. She knows her mom wants her home for Christmas too, but she also wants to spend time with Bellamy and his family, since it's James' first Christmas. And she knows Bellamy's going to want to spend time with his sister and her family.
Bellamy's still in LA while she's having her dilemma, so she tells him all about it when they're FaceTiming.
"I think I have a solution to this problem," he tells her with a smile.
"And what is your solution?"
"We split the holiday. We spend part of it at your mom and Marcus', then we spend the other part with Octavia and Lincoln."
She mentally chastises herself for not having thought of that solution herself. She'd been getting so worked up over it when the solution was so ridiculously easy. "But how do we decide where to go when?" she asks him.
He just shrugs. "We'll figure it out. Let me talk to O, and you can talk to your mom, and we'll figure out when to go to each place. You need to relax, Clarke. Don't get so stressed about this."
She sighs. "I know, I know. It's just...it's our first Christmas together as a couple. I just want it to go well."
"And it will, Princess. Your mom already loves me."
She smiles. "Yeah, I guess she does. Can't say I blame her."
When the holiday gets closer, she goes to the airport to pick Bellamy up after his flight gets in. She's standing there waiting for him with her lip bit between her teeth and bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet. She knows it's been roughly a month since she's seen him in person, but it honestly feels like a lot longer. She's missed him. A lot.
"Hey, Princess."
His voice pulls her out of her thoughts and she can't help the wide smile that grows on her face when she sees him approaching her, backpack slung over his shoulder.
"Bellamy," she breathes out and then closes the space between them. She throws her arms around his neck and hugs him tightly, breathing deeply with a smile on her lips.
His arms go around her waist just as tightly, rocking them from side to side. "Oh, I've missed you, Princess."
"I've missed you too."
Christmas is a success. Thank goodness. They spend Christmas Eve and Day with her mom and Kane, opening presents and eating food, and just lounging around the house. They take a few minutes to FaceTime with Octavia too, so Bellamy can see his nephew and wish him a 'Merry Christmas'. Her heart swells when she hears him talking to the young boy.
They spend New Year's Eve and Day with Octavia and Lincoln. They also open a few presents that were missed from Christmas, namely her and Bellamy's presents to and from Octavia, Lincoln, and James.
When the clock is counting down to the New Year, she's probably happier than she's ever been before. She's relaxing on the couch in Bellamy's arms, a glass of champagne in her hand and a smile on her face. Bellamy's the best person that she's ever been with and sometimes she still can't believe that it's real.
"Happy New Year, Princess."
She looks up to see Bellamy smiling down at her, a sparkle in his eyes that's reserved just for her. "Happy New Year, Bellamy."
They share a kiss, one of the best kisses she's ever had and she can't wait to see what the new year holds for the two of them.
The next few months seem to go by way too fast. She's in the home stretch of her final year of college and the stress is getting ridiculous. She's getting more irritable and the littlest things will set her off. She feels bad for Raven having to put up with her constant mood swings.
She even snaps at Bellamy a few times when they talk, which in turn causes him to be upset with her, and so she's upset with him, and it becomes a vicious cycle. It's just not a good time for her.
On one of her particularly bad days, hours after she got off the phone with Bellamy where she'd tried not to, but snapped at him one too many times, Octavia shows up. She has a fiercely determined look on her face and a bottle of wine in her hand.
"Someone needs a wine night."
Clarke's brows furrow tightly. "It's two in the afternoon."
"Hush. I came here to let you vent so you can stop taking it out on my brother."
She sighs. "Octavia…"
"No. Wine first."
Octavia makes herself comfortable quickly and then they're sipping wine on the couch and she's airing out all of her problems to the other woman. It's a bit of a relief, to be honest.
"So basically this is all just because you're super stressed."
Clarke sighs heavily. "Yeah. I know I shouldn't have taken it out on Bellamy, he was just right there on the phone and I was letting everything get to me, and I just snapped. I feel really bad about it."
"So why don't you call him and tell him?"
Clarke shrugs. "I don't know. I guess I'm a little scared. I've had two relationships that basically imploded. I don't want me and Bellamy to fall into that category. I care about him way too much."
"So tell him that. Don't be an idiot. My brother cares about you, Clarke. He has a big heart and you take up the majority of it. Don't make me get petty revenge on you for breaking his heart. I like you too much. So does my kid."
They spend some more time drinking and talking before Octavia has to go home and relieve Lincoln so he can get ready for his next big trip.
Clarke's beyond nervous when she's getting ready to call Bellamy. She'd promised Octavia that she'd call him that same day, and she plans on following through with it. Doesn't mean she can't be a little tipsy when she does it to take some of the nerves away.
He answers almost immediately, even though she'd very nearly blown up at him. "Hey."
"Hi." She almost loses her nerve now that she's seeing his face; she opted for FaceTime since that's kind of their thing. "I, uh, I wanted to apologize. You did absolutely nothing wrong but I took out all of my stress on you and that wasn't okay."
"Why are you so stressed?"
"School, mostly. I'm in the final stretch of my last year and I think everything is just really getting to me."
He nods. "I understand. School can be tough. I know O was always really stressed before a big exam. I did what I could to help her relax and de-stress so that she could go back to studying with a clear head."
She smiles. "You're a very good big brother."
"I did my best. I wish I could help you, though."
"You being so understanding is helping, believe me." She lets out a heavy sigh. "I should probably go now because I do have to go to work. But we'll talk soon?"
He smiles back at her. "Of course."
Her mood is significantly lifted after that, and she's pretty sure it's the highlight of her week.
.
.
.
Not long after, it's James' first birthday and Octavia makes a huge deal of it. Clarke can't really blame her, it's her first kid. And from what she understands from Bellamy's stories of their childhood, neither of them had legitimate birthday parties as kids. So she's probably trying to make up for that by giving her son the best first birthday imaginable. Even if he won't be able to remember any of it.
Bellamy is there, of course, seeing as it's his nephew's first birthday and Octavia very much would have flown to LA to murder him had he not shown up.
Considering James doesn't have too many baby friends at this point, it's mostly just the adults that are active in his life that come to the party.
Despite the massive amount of people wanting to dote on James and spoil him on his birthday, the one-year-old always manages to find his way back to Clarke. He's either in her arms babbling nonsense or shouting for her across the room, or trying to feed her some of his cake when it's time. She loves the kid, though, so she doesn't mind.
"Happy birthday, James," she whispers to him as they sit on the couch as the party is winding down. She's leaning back and James is lying against her, his little chin resting against her chest as he hugs her. "I love you so much."
James just smiles lazily at her before turning his head so his cheek is resting against her chest, and promptly falls asleep. She presses a kiss to the top of his head and snuggles him closer.
"Is it wrong of me to be jealous of my one-year-old nephew right now?" Bellamy asks as he joins her on the couch, careful not to jostle her too much for James' sake.
"And why would you be jealous?" she asks.
"He's been hogging you all day. I've barely gotten to see you."
She shrugs one shoulder. "Can't help it that the kid likes me more than you."
Bellamy laughs quietly. "Well, he certainly has good taste."
She blushes at the comment and she can practically feel him smirking.
Octavia joins them a minute later, exhaustion from the day's events clear on her face. "Do you want me to take him, Clarke?"
Clarke shakes her head. "He's fine. I don't mind staying a bit longer so he can nap while you clean up."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. I feel like I don't spend nearly enough time with him."
"More than I do," Bellamy mutters.
"You're the one who lives in LA, Bell," Octavia tells her brother. "And since you're not doing anything right now, you can help clean up. Lincoln's outside, go see if he needs anything."
Bellamy sighs, dropping a kiss to Clarke's head and then James' before moving through the house to the back door.
Octavia remains there for a moment longer, a sly smile on her lips as she watches her carefully.
Clarke resists the urge to squirm under her gaze. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"No reason. Just...this is a good look on you, Clarke."
It takes her the time that it takes Octavia to walk back into the kitchen to realize exactly what the brunette was getting at.
And it definitely isn't the worst thing to imagine. But it's also definitely too soon.
She pushes those thoughts away for later. Much later.
.
.
.
She sends him an announcement for her graduation, as well as an invite, just in case he's able to get time away from whatever project he'll be working on. And she knows that they're dating now, and have been for months, but there's still a small part of her that doesn't believe he'll show up. Even if she sends him an invitation.
But of course, he does show up, much to her delight. With Octavia, Lincoln, and James right along with him. They're sitting next to her mom, Kane, and Wells, with Raven there too, and the whole thing makes her heart swell. Everyone she cares about is there supporting her. And she's pretty sure she can hear Bellamy cheering the loudest when her name is called.
Afterward the ceremony, she's pushing her way through the crowd of students, congratulating a few people that she recognizes from her various classes, when she hears his voice.
"Hey, Princess."
Beaming, she spins around and immediately runs at him. His arms wrap tightly around her waist and she breathes deeply as he spins her around. "I'm so glad you made it," she says against his shirt.
"Wouldn't miss it for the world. I'm so proud of you, Clarke."
They all pose for pictures in the large field outside her school, and she makes sure to get one of all of them together. Her mom even convinces her to do a few by herself with just her diploma cover. She gets one with baby James, too, a very candid shot that she loves where he's trying to get at the tassel on her cap with a wide grin and she just laughs.
Her favorite picture by far is one of the ones of her and Bellamy. He's standing behind her with his arms wrapped securely around her waist. She's smiling brightly at the camera but he's smiling down at her, nothing but love and pride in his eyes.
After her mom gets all the pictures that she wants, they all go out to eat to celebrate and she can't believe what her life is like now. She's a college graduate, has a best friend that she'll go to the ends of the earth for, a boyfriend that she loves unconditionally, and two more friends who are practically family at this point. She's loving every second of it.
Everyone goes their separate ways after the meal is finished. Her mom hugs and congratulates her again, telling her that her dad would be so proud of her and she nearly cries on the spot at the thought of him. He would have been right there next to Bellamy, screaming loudly and proudly.
In a moment of boldness, Clarke invites Bellamy over to her place.
They have a few drinks and talk like they always do. And then they end up in her bed.
Not that she's complaining in any way because he is a very physically fit man. It's their first time being together so intimately and it is nothing short of amazing.
She honestly still can't believe he's with her. It all feels a little surreal.
When she opens Instagram the next morning, still lying in bed with Bellamy's arms wrapped tightly around her, her heart swells at seeing Bellamy's latest post. It's a shot of her from her graduation when she's getting into her next pose with her diploma. Her hair is in front of her face as she looks down at the ground, but she knows she's smiling.
Beyond proud of my brave, beautiful Princess for what she did today. She's now officially a college graduate with her Bachelor in Fine Arts and I cannot wait to see what she does with it. Thank you for letting me be there for your big day. These last months with you have been the best of my life and I can't wait to see what's next for us.
She can't wait for whatever's next either. As long as she's with Bellamy, she knows it'll be an incredible adventure.