2017

Two years. He's had the ring two years, properly sized for 18 months but he's still had the ring in his possession for two years and hasn't done a thing with it. There was a moment three months ago where he'd thought he lost it and freaked the hell out, nearly giving himself a coronary, ultimately finding it in the glovebox of his piece of shit '99 Ford Focus three days before trading it in for the '15 Camry he'd picked out. Honestly, he'd have kept the Focus if he'd had to have bought her a ring himself.

He's not being cheap, he's just always felt strapped for cash, even when he wasn't, it's just always eaten away in the back of his head that he's spending frivolously. Even knowing it'd be an engagement ring for Clarke, his brain gnawed away at the thought, stressing him out more than he ever thought possible.

So just over two years ago, Bellamy had a conference in DC and took a lunch away from it and spent it with Abby Griffin at her hospital. He wanted to be mature about it, he wasn't asking Abby for a ring for her daughter, he was merely going to ask for her permission since Jake had passed just over four years ago at that point. It turned into Abby crying, which he definitely did not intend, and her offering Clarke's grandmother's ring, asking to keep it in the family and she'd always knew that he was the one for her. Frankly that creeped him out a little, but he also knew that Clarke was the only woman in the world who could keep his head on straight. It was mutually beneficial for them both. After thinking that, he knew he wasn't ready and didn't propose until his immediate reasoning was because he couldn't possibly think of spending another day without her because he loves her so much.

Mutually beneficial, it's not a business transaction, it's their lives finally merged together.

So it was weird, having this feeling throughout the day that it was somehow significant. He went over every important date in his head. His birthday passed last month, Clarke's wasn't for another three months and Christmas was a month later, Octavia's is in March, this is August, what could be so exciting about today? August 22, 2017? It wasn't their anniversary, that's somehow Valentine's Day and not as romantic as people would usually assume when he tells them that. So he spent the whole day pondering the importance of August 22 until he arrived home to their condo in SoHo that her trust fund paid for and he's felt guilty about since she bought it four years ago.

He walked in the door, exhausted from thinking about it all day, he dropped his briefcase on the bench and kicked his shoes off, tucking them underneath the bench while loosening his tie. Came around the corner, used to smelling something amazing that Clarke's cooked up for them, her cooking classes working fucking miracles, but the kitchen was as pristine as when he left it this morning and Clarke was sitting on the couch, her back to him, hunched over and unmoving.

"Babe?" he called to her but still, nothing. "Clarke?" Bellamy walked around the back of the couch and froze at the small box on the coffee table in front of her.

"How long?" she asked without even looking away from it.

"Two years."

Clarke scoffed, and Bellamy saw her brain working through when he could have possibly seen her mother and—"The conference. Was that even a real thing or did you make it up to ask my mom if you could have her blessing?"

"Clarke—"

"No! For two years, she's answered the phone expectantly and I never knew why. It got to the point where I thought she might actually been because she wanted to speak to me, not waiting to hear that you proposed."

"I'm sorry. I—I didn't know."

"Of course, you didn't, how could you? I never talk about her because of stuff like this!"

He couldn't say anything, nothing could make up for how fucked he was at this moment, Clarke's furious at him and rightfully so, he'd unknowingly fucked up her relationship with her mother more than it already was and she didn't need that, not after the year she's had.

"At least tell me why you haven't," her voice was soft, almost like she thought he's given up on them and that couldn't be further than the truth.

"I wanted it to be perfect."

"'Perfect', our relationship began by accident with neither of us walking away after, what about us could ever be perfect?"

Bellamy chuckled. "This. This right here with you yelling at me about not proposing to you for two years. This is perfect."

"Bellamy—"

"Clarke, I have loved you since that first day in my classroom. You acted like you knew everything, you were a whirlwind of knowledge and self-assurance that made me feel like I had to knock you down a peg. I hated that I didn't have to. I hated that you were just naturally horrible at history, also explaining why a senior was taking a freshman history class. It also meant that I shouldn't have been such a stubborn asshole and helped you instead of watching you suffer.

"That kiss was the scariest moment of my life. We were graduating in three months. I had job interviews in every city except New York and you were staying here, you love New York. I thought I'd lose you as a friend if I moved. Then in that moment, I thought I'd lose you from that moment on and not have to wait three months when I'd moved away."

Clarke stood and kissed him chastely, her arms wrapping around his neck. "I kissed you because I loved you then. You could have asked me to marry you in that moment and I would have said yes," her voice broke and Bellamy smiled at her sincerity and how he turned her mood around so easily.

But he shook his head, "I woke up stupidly early on a Monday to an alarm blaring, not my alarm so I was confused as all hell. Why the hell did we drink so much on a Sunday?"

"Raven was upset about Wick leaving," she reminded him.

"Right, anyway, I don't know how or why but I woke up in your tiny apartment—"

"If mine was tiny, yours was microscopic."

"—and I looked over at the grumbling girl lying next to me, fighting with the clock. I reached over to help because if it kept going for another moment, my brain was going to explode, and once it did finally stop, I looked down at you. Your blonde curls spread out across your pillow, mascara smudged under your eyes and that fucking red lip stick smeared on your cheek, I knew I loved you. I was in denial before then, we're both too stubborn for our own good.

"Then our mouths were pressed together and I didn't know or even cared who made the move, I just never wanted it to end. God, Clarke, I never want to stop kissing you and I definitely never want to stop getting to know you."

"Bellamy, please," she sighed, her fingers toying with the ends of his hair, driving him mad. "I don't need a speech, I don't need my grandmother's ring. I don't want my mother's permission, I just want you. I need you."

"You won't even let me finish my speech, I already knew that about you. And I know you're going to say yes, I can tell by the look on your face. You say you've been waiting six years for this, you should at least let me give a speech."

"Okay," she bit her lip, trying to hold back a smile and Bellamy somehow loved her even more.

"When I think about you, I think family. You know me better than anyone, I can walk in the room and you'd immediately know what I'd need, whether it's space, scotch, or a documentary to yell at, you always seem to know. But we're still learning each other. I want to spend the rest of my life learning you, Clarke Marie Griffin." He detangled himself from her arms and stepped back to get down on one knee, grabbing the box from the coffee table next to them. "Will you marry me?"

Clarke rolled her eyes, "You're such a romantic, Blake. Of course, I'll marry you."

With the dopiest grin on his face, Bellamy pulled the ring out of the open box, and pushed it on her finger, a perfect fit. He stood and lifted Clarke into the air as he kissed her, carrying her to their bedroom.

A few hours later Clarke rolled over and leaned on his chest, looking down at him with an exhausted, lazy smile. "I can't give you that family, you know that."

"Families are more than biology, Princess. Nieces and nephews are fine for me too."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Bellamy smiled, kissing her temple. "I love you and I'm never going to regret that."