So I'm challenging myself by trying to post one fic a day for two weeks. This is the first one.
I don't have fourteen ideas ready though, so if anyone wants to send me a prompt it would be much appreciated!
You can find me on tumblr keiraknighted or cgriff
It's only desperate times that have driven Clarke to the university library at peak time on a Thursday afternoon, normally she stays well away. But of course her laptop decided to die on her ten minutes after she realised she has a 2000 word assignment due that night that she hasn't even started yet. Of course, being peak time, her luck is well and truly out as all the library computers are taken, and from the looks of things most of these people have settled in and are probably going to be working well into the night. Maybe they've all had the same problem as her.
It's not like she has any other options though. Normally she'd get Monty to look at her computer for her but he's working, so she finds an empty seat and waits, hoping someone will leave and she can quickly snag their computer before anyone else does. She waits probably half an hour (okay, it's exactly 28 minutes, but who's counting?) before a guy gets up from his computer, glancing around as he strides out of the library. Clarke doesn't take much notice of the guy himself but pounces on the spare computer before anyone else can get there, only to see he hasn't logged out, and has left a note in the middle of the screen in the biggest font possible.
brb smoke break soz for hogging computer not soz
Clarke scowls at the note and she's not sure if she's more offended by the message itself or the lack of punctuation. She makes a decision then, sitting down at the computer, exiting the stupid note and making sure to save his work to the usb he's left in the computer (she's not that heartless) before logging him off. She knows she's in for a fight when he gets back, but she needs this computer. She's never handed an assignment in late and she doesn't intend to start now.
Luckily it's not a super hard essay and she's pretty sure she can bullshit most of it, even if it isn't necessarily good (Ps get degrees after all). She gets so focused on her essay she almost forgets about the guy whose computer she's stolen (well technically she didn't steal it since it belongs to the library, not him, but she's not sure he's going to see it that way) until she hears someone clear their throat behind her and she glances around with a start. Oh, right, the note leaving jerk.
"Can I help you?" she asks him innocently.
"Can't you read? That's my computer," he tells her, his annoyance evident on his handsome face. He is unfairly attractive and Clarke thinks maybe she'd give up the computer for him for a date, but then she remembers he smokes (which if the note didn't tell her she could certainly tell from the way he smells right now) and that's kind of a deal breaker for her so she gives him her most disapproving look.
"You snooze you lose," she tells him matter-of-factly before turning back to essay, though she knows that isn't the end of it.
"Look princess, I don't have time for this. I have an assignment due in two hours," he huffs.
"Yet you had time to go out and have a cigarette," she muses. "Smoking kills you know."
"It's stress relief. Not that it's any of your business," the guy scowls.
"Regardless of whether it's my business or not, I'm not giving the computer back until I finish my essay. Here's your memory stick," she hands him the flash drive and goes back to typing. Which proves to be difficult with him hovering over her shoulder, breathing down her neck.
"Do you mind?" she snaps, not looking around. "It's very hard to concentrate with you standing there." He doesn't respond so Clarke whips her head around to see him looking smugly at her, despite the fact that he hasn't won anything. "Seriously, go away."
"It's a free country," the guy shrugs. "I can stand here if I want."
"You know I might have considered not taking the computer if you'd had a real reason for leaving," Clarke tells him.
"Oh yeah? And what would have been a good enough reason for your highness?" he asks, folding his arms intimidatingly and Clarke tries not to get distracted by his arm muscles that tense up with the movement.
"Bathroom maybe," she says.
"Maybe?" he scoffs. "And since when are you the authority on what is a good enough reason to leave your computer?"
"Since I'm the one who needs it more," Clarke huffs. This argument is really a waste of time and effort that she could be putting into her essay.
"I highly doubt that, Miss Griffin, daughter of Dr. Abby Griffin," the guy sneers. "As if you don't have every latest gadget sitting at home." Clarke stares at him in surprise, hardly taking in the insult.
"How do you know who I am?" she asks slowly.
"Your name's right there, genius," the guy rolls his eyes and points to her computer screen where her name is at the top of the essay she's writing. "Your mom was in the paper last week."
"Okay, Guy Whose Name I Don't Know," Clarke starts.
"Bellamy," he interjects and Clarke glares at him for interrupting.
"Fine, Bellamy. I'm going to ignore the fact that you seem to think I'm a spoiled brat and just tell you that my laptop died and I have an assignment due at midnight, and these six lines you see here are all I've written. So, in the interests of productivity could you please leave me alone?" Clarke reasons.
"Okay well as touching as that story was, I'm going to have to reject your request because I don't even have a laptop and I have an essay due at five and I'm almost finished and I had that computer before you rudely ignored my extremely clear and concise note because you clearly have no heart and are a terrible person," Bellamy rants.
"You call 'brb smoke break soz for hogging computer not soz' clear and concise? Also I'm a very nice person," Clarke pouts.
"What's not clear and concise about that?" Bellamy huffs. Clarke screws her nose up, knowing he's right.
"You know if you didn't smoke we wouldn't be having this argument," Clarke points out.
"You're just annoyed you're losing," Bellamy smirks and Clarke gets the feeling all of a sudden that he's enjoying this.
"Last I checked I'm still the one who has the computer," Clarke reminds him smugly.
"You haven't written anything for twenty minutes. I'm distracting you with my charming banter. I'm clearly winning here," Bellamy grins and Clarke almost does a double take. Is he flirting with her now? Has he been flirting this whole time? Clarke tries to think back to the beginning of the conversation. "Also, I have one more trick up my sleeve."
"Oh, and what's that?" Clarke humours him with a patronising tilt of her head. Bellamy leans over and switches the power off at the wall, and Clarke stares in horror as her screen goes black.
"Now I've lost all my work!" she cries. "At least I had the decency to save yours."
"Oh relax, you only had six lines," Bellamy rolls his eyes. Clarke curls her lip at him sullenly.
"I'm still not moving," she tells him stubbornly.
"Well, I guess this is happening then," he says and before Clarke can ask him what "this" is he's dragging her chair away from the computer. Clarke is quick to catch on and immediately jumps up as Bellamy rounds her chair to get back to the computer and she shoves into him with her shoulder, trying to knock him off course. He's bigger than her though, and obviously sees it coming as it doesn't really work. She does manage to get in front of him and she grins at him victoriously as she stands in front of the screen, blocking him off. He stands inches away from her, raises his eyebrow suggestively and Clarke for a moment has the wild thought that maybe he's going to kiss her to distract her (she knows it would probably work). What he does instead however is grab her around the waist and lift her over his shoulder. She shrieks as he lifts her up, attracting the attention of the entire library for a moment and she feels herself blush as Bellamy carries her towards the exit.
"Put me down, asshole," Clarke seethes, but Bellamy just chuckles. He sets her down at the entrance then sprints back to the computer, Clarke hot on his heels. He makes it there just before her, switching the power back on at the wall.
"This isn't over," Clarke declares.
"Oh yes it is," comes a woman's authoritative voice from behind them, making them both spin around. A haughty looking librarian is glaring at them. "I'm going to have to ask the two of you to leave. There have been several complaints about you causing disturbances."
"But-," Clarke and Bellamy both try to protest at the same time.
"Out." the librarian says shortly. "Come back when you learn how to behave like adults." She stares at them until they reluctantly gather up their things and head towards the exit.
"This is bullshit," Bellamy mutters.
"Librarians are always the worst," Clarke agrees.
"We weren't that bad," Bellamy says. Clarke nods, though she has the feeling they probably were that bad. "What am I going to do about my essay now?" Bellamy groans, voicing Clarke's own concerns.
"I have no idea," Clarke sighs. They stand purposelessly at the front of the library, wondering what to do next. She really needs to get this essay done. "I could really use one of those stress relievers right about now," she jokes.
"I know you're joking, but I only had the one anyway," Bellamy grimaces. "I don't really smoke. My friend Miller told me I was too stressed and that smoking would definitely help so he gave me a cigarette. He was wrong, all it did was make me look like an idiot in front of the actual smokers." Bellamy looks so disgusted with himself, but Clarke can't help but laugh. "It's not funny," he tries to tell her.
"I'm sorry, but it really is," Clarke grins. "Sorry about trying to steal your computer. I was desperate. Hey, what time do you think that library lady finishes her shift?"
"No idea, why?" Bellamy asks in confusion.
"I thought we could get a coffee while we wait for her to leave so we can get back in the library," Clarke offers. "I'll pay."
"That sounds good, but I think I'm going to need something a lot stronger than coffee," Bellamy groans.
"Whiskey it is!" Clarke agrees. She grabs his arm and starts dragging him towards the on campus bar.
"You're still paying, right?"