I posted this story around Christmas time on AO3. I never even thought to post it here. Where my Bellarke bitches at?! I'm fairly new to The 100 fandom but boy am I rooting for these two in canon. In the meantime while we all wait for that glorious day to come, I give you cute, flirty AU Bellarke. :P Enjoy you guys!

Disclaimer: I hold no ownership towards any of these characters. If I did, Bellarke would have been canon many moons ago

Bellamy Blake could accept the fact that he got dumped. It was only a matter of time before Gina realized his heart just wasn't in it any more. For months he had considered just ending things on his own accord – he didn't want to lead her on – but every time he worked up the courage to get it out, Gina would cut him off and quickly change the subject. She was stalling, he realized, and when she showed up on his doorstep a week ago, hands on hips and a tight grimace in place of her usual smile, he figured out why. She wanted to be the one to cut things off. And breaking up with him a week before Christmas was just a way to pour more salt into the wound. Bellamy knew he probably deserved it, but it didn't make him any less bitter about spending the holidays alone.

Well, almost alone.

To say Octavia was less than sympathetic to his situation was a vast understatement. After begrudgingly explaining why Gina wouldn't be joining them for Christmas dinner via text message, his sister wrote back, brutally honest and unapologetic,

I told you to break up with her idiot. Now you're the one who's pathetic and alone.

Bellamy denied this, but the evidence was stacked against him.

It took a few more days for Bellamy to realize he had fallen into a slump. His best friend (and worst influence) Miller had tried to convince him that all he needed was to get back out there and hook up with someone. But even the promise of a no strings attached-one night stand wasn't enough to coax him out of his apartment.

He wasn't heartbroken. Oh no, Bellamy Blake doesn't get his heart broken. If he had to put a word to it, he would say he felt apathetic. He was just so over it. Women, relationships, Christmas – what was the point? If Bellamy had his way, he would barricade himself inside his apartment and let everyone else be happy without bringing down the mood. But of course skipping Christmas wasn't going to fly with Octavia.

After calling him out on his bullshit, Octavia dragged Bellamy out of his cave and forced him to do all the things he didn't want to do; like baking holiday cookies and decorating his apartment. He was miserable, but he let her boss him around.

Whether she wanted to admit it or not, Octavia had a special place in her heart for the Christmas season. That alone was enough to get Bellamy off his sorry ass and get involved.

This was how he ended up at a coffee shop at 3pm on Christmas Eve. Octavia had dragged him out of his apartment claiming the fresh air would do him some good. Bellamy considered explaining to his sister that they wouldn't even be outside, seeing as how they had to go into the building to get their coffee. (There was no way in hell he was walking around in -8° weather without proper snow boots) but he quickly decided he would rather have all of his limbs firmly attached to his body then point out his sister's flawed logic.

Bellamy held the door open for her earning a sharp glare from Octavia. Because yeah, he may have done it passive-aggressively just to get a reaction out of her. What did she expect? He didn't want to be here.

The coffee shop was packed and Bellamy made a point to glare daggers at the back of his sister's head before squeezing their way into the line up that stretched across the entire room. It didn't seem like they would be moving anytime soon (Bellamy swore he would flip a table if the brat at the counter didn't pick what pastry he wanted in less than ten seconds) so Octavia decided now was as good a time as any to give her brother an ultimatum. "You're doing it on purpose you know."

The kid had 4 seconds left.

"Doing what?"

"Making yourself miserable. So you got dumped. So what? I know you didn't love her, so why the theatrics?"

The kid finally made a choice with barely a second left to spare and the line took a collective step forward.

"It's kind of a wake up call when you realize someone can't even stand you long enough to make it through the holidays with you, O," Bellamy told her, the bitterness still evident in his voice. "Makes me feel like an asshole," he finished.

"You're not an asshole," Octavia said, and for a second Bellamy thought his sister was actually going to stick up for him. "You're just a whiny brat who got his ego bruised so you're taking it out on Christmas, which in this case represents happiness."

"Stop reading those psychology books. You're not my therapist."

Octavia let out an annoyed huff and spun around in the line so her back was facing him. "You're missing out," she told him over her shoulder, and Bellamy could detect a hint of disappointment in her tone. His guilt was short lived as the line started to move again and Octavia became distracted with the menu instead of scolding her brother. Bellamy figured she had let it go for now so he stopped paying attention and let his eyes wander around the room.

You know how you see people who are ridiculously happy or having a great time and you automatically hate them? That pretty much summed up the majority of Bellamy's feelings at the moment. He knew his animosity was completely over-exaggerated and unnecessary, but that didn't stop him from feeling like a distant relative of Ebenezer Scrooge. The shop was alive with smiling faces and laughing voices. Kids played and giggled with their parents, couples flirted and shared kisses over the table – Bellamy sneered at all of it.

But then something caught his eye.

It wasn't necessarily the head of long, wavy blonde hair, or the delicate hand holding a pencil frantically scribbling through a notebook that peeked his interest. It was the fact that she was sitting alone. Surrounded by all this rowdy Christmas cheer, she stuck out like a sore thumb - sitting in the corner at a table closest to the window.

It shouldn't have meant anything to Bellamy, but as he watched her pick up her cappuccino in one hand and restlessly tap the end of her pencil on paper with the other, he felt something.

Her movements were careful and deliberate – much too quick to be writing. She was drawing, he realized, and he found himself wondering if she was any good. An annoyed grunt and tap to his shoulder reminded Bellamy that he was still standing in line and he had completely forgotten to move up with the rest of the group. Staring at someone like a creep without them knowing was not something Bellamy took pride in, but he couldn't help it. She was obviously attractive, but the concentration on her face as she sketched out whatever it was she was drawing was almost hypnotic.

"Bell, what do you want?"

Bellamy blinked before turning his head towards his sister in slow motion. "Huh?" Octavia sent him a look over her shoulder.

"We're almost to the front."

"Oh, right."

"Since it's pretty busy why don't I order and you find us a seat." Octavia's reasoning made sense, but Bellamy was more interested in having a chance to talk to the mystery woman than finding an open seat.

After telling his sister what he wanted, Bellamy spun around to look back at the girl, only her seat was empty. Bellamy just caught a glimpse of that blonde hair leaving the shop and walking down the sidewalk on the other side of the window. The sting of disappointment he felt low in his gut was substantial. Which is why it took him a second to notice the grey knitted cap lying on the seat that was across from where the girl was sitting.

Bellamy wasn't even thinking about the fact that this was the perfect opportunity to approach the woman, he just made a beeline for the table, scooped up the hat and quickly hurried out of the coffee shop. Bellamy lifted his arm and shouted, "Wait! Hold up!" before setting into a small jog to catch up with her. The woman turned around as Bellamy came to a stand-still in front of her, her crystal blue eyes both inquisitive and surprised by the sudden interruption. Bellamy felt his heart hammering in his chest realizing he had all of her attention.

Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

"You, um, forgot your hat." Bellamy ungracefully shoved the cap out in front of the woman, expecting her to take it, but she just stared down at it curiously.

"Uh, that's not my hat," she told him.

"Oh..." Bellamy slowly lowered his arm to hang loosely by his side. As a bit of an off-handed comment, that was both unintentional and genuinely puzzled, Bellamy asked, "Did I just steal a hat?"

"I think you might have."

Bellamy felt his neck and cheeks grow hot and he knew his skin had flushed, only it wasn't because of the nippy December air. The woman let out a quiet chuckle and Bellamy decided right then and there that he wanted to hear that sound again, only longer and louder. But most importantly, he wanted to be the one to bring it out of her.

"Relax. It was there when I sat down. Someone must have forgot it."

Bellamy quickly composed himself and offered her a jaunty smile in return. "Does that mean I'm off the hook? I don't think I'd survive a night in the slammer." She smiled at him in a way that managed to come across as both sarcastic and endearing at the same time.

"I think you're fine," she told him with a playful glint in her eyes. Bellamy swallowed before awkwardly sticking out his hand.

"I'm Bellamy."

"Clarke."

Clarke's tiny hand felt so soft and warm inside his own. When she pulled it away, Bellamy found himself craving more of her touch.

What is wrong with me?

He didn't understand why he was feeling this way. He had never been this greedy before, not even with Gina. Clarke was a complete stranger – this strong attraction and fascination he felt towards her was unexpected to say the least.

They weren't unwelcome feelings. In fact, this was the first time Bellamy felt genuinely engaged in something other than wallowing in self-pity. Maybe he was heading down a dangerous road with expectations ridiculously high for someone he had just met, but Clarke was gazing up at him – blue eyes wide and expecting – so he kept talking.

What else could he do?

"So, whatcha doing out all by yourself on Christmas Eve? If you don't mind my asking."

Clarke shifted her notebook under her arm as she spoke."My mom's out of town for the holidays so I thought I'd kill some time here. Better than sitting at home watching the same old Christmas movies over and over again."

So many questions raced through Bellamy's mind; why isn't her mother here spending Christmas with her daughter? What about her father? Where is he? Does she have any siblings, grandparents? But the most troubling of all; why is she all alone during what is supposed to be the happiest time of the year? Bellamy recognised the tightening in his chest as empathy. He really did try not to take his sister for granted, but sometimes it was easy to forget how lucky he was to have a loved one nearby. Especially during the holidays.

"What about you? Out with your girlfriend?"

The only way Clarke could have possibly known he was with someone was if she had been watching him. Bellamy couldn't stop himself from grinning triumphantly. Apparently he wasn't the only creep in that coffee shop.

"Were you spying on us?" he asked, teasing her.

Clarke smirked before offering an explanation. "People watching is one of my favourite pass times," she explained diligently. "I see all the different people inside and like to imagine what they're saying based on facial expressions and body language. For instance, your girlfriend is trying to convince you to get an apartment with her but you're reluctant because you think it's too soon and you don't want to rush into anything too serious. Oh, and that couple by the window? She cheated on him with his brother and now she's trying to figure out how to tell him. Poor guy, he was going to propose at midnight underneath the mistletoe."

Bellamy huffed out an astonished laugh. The girl certainly had an active imagination.

"Sounds like a shitty soap opera."

Clarke shrugged, "It's tragic, but I have faith they'll work things out in the end."

Bellamy smiled at her unabashedly and for the first time since their conversation began Clarke looked flustered. Almost unnoticeably, she shook her head as if to break herself out of it and tried to ask as coyly as she could, "So, was I close?"

"Not exactly. Octavia is my sister."

"Oh." Bellamy smirked at her crestfallen expression. "I like my story better."

"Sorry to disappoint."

"Are you in trouble? It looked like she was giving you the business."

"Actually, that was her 'I'm trying to cheer you up' face, if you can believe it." Clarke nodded and patiently waited for him to elaborate. After a moment of deliberation, Bellamy finally told her, "I got dumped last week."

"Right before Christmas? Ouch."

"To be fair I was gonna break it off anyway. She just beat me to the punch."

"Then why the cheering up?"

Bellamy tucked his hands into his jacket pockets to warm them up before offering a shrug. "I guess I'm not feeling it this year. The Christmas Spirit, that is." Clarke nodded as if she completely understood where he was coming from.

"Yeah, when I found out all my friends were going away for the holidays, I decided I wasn't going to bother with it this year. Didn't seem worth it."

"You think you could tell my sister that?" Clarke shook her head, mimicking his grin.

"That, you'll have to deal with on your own."

A comfortable silence followed and Bellamy suddenly remembered the sketch book clasped under Clarke's arm. He jutted out his chin, gesturing to the book. "You an artist or something?" Clarke's grip unintentionally tightened around it, making it's significance painfully clear even to Bellamy.

"Or something," she said, smiling bashfully at her feet. "It's just a hobby."

Bellamy decided now wasn't the right time to pressure her for a peek – maybe another time.

There has to be another time.

Taking a leap of faith, Bellamy asked, "Can I buy you a cup of coffee?"

Clarke raised a perfectly arched eyebrow as if she was making fun of him. "I just had one," she reminded him bluntly. Bellamy bristled.

Smooth, Bellamy. Real smooth.

"But I suppose there's no crime against having another. I have to warn you though, I really can't handle my caffeine. You'll have to take responsibility for my lack of sleep tonight." Her words could have come across as suggestive, but Bellamy could sense the hint of a challenge somewhere in there too. And he was more than willing to participate.

"Yeah?" Bellamy didn't bother to try and hide his excitement.

"Are you sure you're sister won't mind the extra company?"

Bellamy had almost forgotten about his sister who was probably still standing inside with a tray, seething as she searched for him. Wasn't he supposed to find a table or something?

"I'm sure she won't mind."

Octavia didn't mind. In fact, she and Clarke really hit it off. By the end of their three-person-date, Bellamy had gotten Clarke's number scribbled on a piece of paper from her precious sketch book. As he watche her walk away, this time with the knowledge that he would be seeing her again, Octavia let out a snort around her cooling cup of hot chocolate. "Look like the Grinch's heart grew three sizes after all."

This time, Bellamy could agree with his sister wholeheartedly.

Thanks so much for reading! Reviews are greatly appreciated. :)