It still felt like a dream.
Somehow, they had made it to a new planet. Alive. A planet with trees, water, breathable air, and no imminent apocalyptic events on the horizon.
Besides, Clarke hadn't exactly experienced peace in years (over a century, in fact), so it was easy to feel like any second she could awaken and find herself in the middle of another crisis. How does one come to accept the idea that a peaceful existence is possible after so many years spent forgetting what that felt like?
Bellamy helped, though. Having him by her side, it just... felt right.
After wrapping their minds around the fact that they were on a two-sun planet in another star system, the two of them had decided to take a few days and learn a little more about their surroundings before waking the others and having to handle everything all at once. She didn't want to wake Madi until she was absolutely sure that she would be safe.
These thoughts and more run through Clarke's mind as she stands on a ledge overlooking a patch of alien forest on this alien planet. If she squinted, she wouldn't be able to see the odd shapes of the tree trunks or the equally odd creatures that pranced around them, and she could almost imagine she was back on Earth.
"Hey."
Clarke jumps a bit, not having heard Bellamy's footsteps as he approached.
"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you," He walks up beside her and she glances over, giving him a quick smile.
"It's okay."
Clarke feels the worn leather of his jacket brush against her arm and sees him hold out his palm, on top of which lays a pile of what look like vibrant red berries.
"Did Jordan say these were safe?" She asks, her mouth watering slightly — Clarke hasn't had fresh fruits since before their extended space slumber.
"C'mon, I'd never poison you, princess," He chuckles. "He already checked them in the database."
After Monty cracked the Eligius III file, he compiled a database of all the helpful information about the new planet that probes had collected, including a catalog of the edible and inedible flora fauna.
"Thanks." Clarke plucks one of the shiny red spheres out of his hand and pops it in her mouth, smiling when she tastes the tangy sweetness of the berry. "Mm."
The pair stand there for a moment, surveying the view before them. Clarke knew they were both thinking of the same things: where to set up a camp, how they should schedule hunting parties, whether they had to worry about any threats not detected by the probes, or what kind of system they should set up to govern the 400-something people still asleep on the Eligius IV once they woke them up.
"Jordan says we should take a day or two and explore this area. He's going to stay on the ship to keep an eye on everyone, but he gave us radios in case we need to contact him," Bellamy says, pulling off his jacket and shoving it into his backpack. "Here, I brought you a pack, too."
Clarke slings the canvas bag over her shoulder. "Thanks."
"C'mon princess, let's find out what we have to work with."
"As long as there aren't any nuclear bombs or approaching waves of fiery radiation, I think we'll be fine."
Bellamy laughs, and Clarke finds herself smiling, too. Maybe they really will be fine.
Hiking through this strange land made her head spin.
The towering tree trunks curved in all directions, as if unsure which of the suns they should reach for. When Clarke places her hand on the unusually smooth bark, she notices shimmering golden veins running up the tree towards its branches, which sprouts large, deep green leaves that flutter in the breeze gracefully. Every once in a while, they spot round, furry creatures darting above them, jumping from treetop to treetop with ease.
Bellamy carries a tablet that has Monty's survival catalog downloaded onto it, and so they swipe through to try to identify every animal and plant that they stumble across. It was more than a little unsettling for Clarke to be unfamiliar with her surroundings, especially when it meant that she couldn't easily identify medicinal herbs here like she did on Earth. But, she had to start somewhere. They all did.
Eventually, the sky begins to turn orange, bathing the already-enchanted-looking forest in a tangerine glow. Bellamy turns to face her, his eyes looking like pools of deep amber in the sunlight.
"We should find a place to rest for the night."
"How about over there?" She points ahead to where the trees part in front of a clearing, and they set off towards it.
As they approach the prospective campsite, Clarke glimpses what looks like a blue glow emanating from an unknown source, and once they reach the clearing, she gasps slightly.
Underneath the canopy of fluttering leaves and hidden by the lush vegetation lies a small, shallow pond with glowing blue waters. Jordan had told them that water on this planet glowed, but she didn't expect it to look so beautiful — it was like the pond was made of liquid starlight.
Bellamy whistles in awe.
"Looks refreshing," He remarks, tugging off his shirt in one fluid motion and heading towards the water.
"Bellamy, wait!" Clarke jogs after him, pulling his shoulder around so he's facing her. "There could be something dangerous in there!"
"Live a little, princess. We're on an alien planet with glowing water and you're telling me you don't wanna try it out for yourself?" His dark eyes sparkle with a hint of the Bellamy she used to know, and it manages to soften her up pretty quickly. Jordan did say the water was safe, and it didn't look like there weren't any giant water serpents in there.
"Okay, but you're going first," She pushes him away and pulls off her own clothing, trying not to overthink the fact that she's now only wearing a thin tank top and black shorts.
Bellamy slowly steps into the water, the muscles in his back tensing up a bit as he walks deeper and deeper.
Clarke stands hesitantly at the edge of the pond, watching as his every inch of his bronze skin is slowly enveloped by the glistening water.
"Come on, Clarke," Bellamy reaches his hand out to help her in.
After another moment of inner turmoil, she slowly places her hand in his.
With a smooth tug of his hand, Bellamy pulls her in completely, and Clarke is suddenly submerged in the cool water up to her chest, every inch of her skin tingling in an amazing way as she gasps a little in shock.
She glances up at Bellamy, who's merely inches away from her and is looking at her with his warm, dark eyes, and her body starts to tingle all over again. His skin is covered in droplets which reflect the glow of the pond and look like little diamonds on his collarbone.
Clarke's little trance is broken when he backs away from her and goes fully under the water. Before she can collect herself, she feels something brush against her legs and she looks down, only to feel her whole body jerk upward suddenly until Bellamy's standing upright in the pond with a disoriented Clarke slung over his shoulder. With one decisive motion, he tosses her into the air and she lets out an involuntary squeak before landing back in the water with a splash.
After a moment, she resurfaces with her hair plastered to her face and an indignant expression that instantly makes Bellamy laugh.
"It's not funny!" She swats him. "I wasn't ready for that!"
"Lighten up, Clarke," He grins. "We still have a little while before we have to be responsible again, remember?"
Bellamy's words trigger something in her. He's right. For now, they can just enjoy themselves without having to bear the weight of their usual crushing responsibilities.
"You're right," She lets out a breath and smiles back. "Tonight, we won't worry about anything."
"Well, you might have to worry about something," Bellamy smirks.
"Like wha-"
Before Clarke can finish her sentence, he lunges toward her and wraps his hands around her waist. She lets out a squeal and tries to slip out of his grasp, but he fends her off easily and dunks her back into the water.
Once she hits the bottom, Clarke swims under Bellamy's legs, pushes off the bottom, and latches onto his neck, using all her strength to pull him down until he finally slips and the two fall into the water together.
For a moment, she looks at him in a different light as the water envelops them both.
Bellamy looks softer underwater with his curls floating around his head and softening his dark, intense eyes.
He winks at Clarke before pushing her deeper down.
After a moment, they shoot back up to the surface, panting and smiling.
"I missed this Bellamy," Clarke says through heavy breaths.
"You did?" He cocks his head to the side and runs a hand through his hair.
"Yeah, I missed the Bellamy I used to have drinks and joke around with."
"I guess things haven't been good in a while," He moves over to a nearby ledge of rocks and sits down, sliding over to make room for Clarke. "We had to grow up pretty fast."
She takes the seat and hugs her knees to her chest. "I know we're technically adults now, but I feel like we never got to really be teenagers in the first place."
"And now we're a hundred years old." He leans back onto a rock and rests his weight on his elbows, torso stretched out in front of Clarke. "Life isn't fair, princess."
Her eyes linger for a split second on the tanned muscles of his chest that move softly as he exhales.
"Yeah," She replies hastily, directing her eyes firmly towards the starry night sky above them.
"Do you ever think about what our lives would be like if Earth hadn't been destroyed by a nuclear apocalypse?" Clarke says.
"Sometimes," The dark-haired boy replies without skipping a beat. "But my life isn't too bad at the moment, to be honest." His tone is still playful, albeit less so.
"Really? You enjoy being on a strange, crazy planet in another solar system?"
Bellamy shrugs. "I know we'll be okay."
"And how do you know that?"
"Not to be cocky, but we've survived worse."
Clarke laughs, shivering a little from a passing breeze. "True."
"Cold?" Bellamy asks, lifting himself until he's sitting upright.
"Yeah, but I've survived worse," She echoes his words with a smirk.
Bellamy lets out a chuckle, but she can practically feel his eyes moving across her, leaving goosebumps in their wake. How is it possible that, after a century of space hibernation, she still feels this kind of connection with someone? How can he still make her stomach spin like this? They haven't been teenagers in a hell of a long time, and yet, Bellamy Blake makes her feel like a schoolgirl with his messy hair and dark eyes and golden heart.
"Yeah, you have," He smiles at her, but his gaze doesn't hold its usual intensity. Instead, his expression is... peaceful. Like he's got everything figured out. "You're the strongest person I've ever met, Clarke."
Her breath catches. The whole planet seems to stand still. It seems like even the ripples in the pond have stopped dead in their tracks as Bellamy and Clarke sit quietly under new stars with the same hearts they had on Earth — hearts that have spent far too long trying to ignore the fact that they are two parts of a whole.
Bellamy tucks a stray blonde hair behind Clarke's ear and looks into her eyes. It almost feels as though he's searching for a sign that what he's about to do is okay, and a small part of Clarke's brain laughs at the thought. There's no doubt in her mind that Bellamy Blake is the man she wants more than anything in the universe.
Clarke pulls Bellamy's face towards her and kisses him like she's never kissed anyone before — it's explosive and gentle and passionate and addicting and body-melting and perfect in every sense of the word.
She's loved Bellamy for so long, but somehow, she never imagined that kissing him would feel this right.
For once in her long, burdened lifetime, she feels totally at peace.