Bellamy's POV for the same story!

Bellamy asks Raven first to help him pick out a Christmas present for Clarke. Not the paintbrushes Clarke had told him she wanted and then went with him to buy them to make sure he bought the right ones, but the other present. The special one, to let her know how he feels about her. He's been in love with her so long, he wants it to be romantic, so he can't simply tell her. He has to give her a… gesture.

Raven was the one who managed to convince him that Clarke likes him too, but he only ended up actually believing her because Raven secretly recorded a conversation with Clarke in which Clarke more or less stated the fact. So he's pretty sure. But he could be wrong. He still doesn't quite believe it.

But it turns out Raven is shit at picking out romantic presents. First she suggests a remote control plane, and then she suggests a dog.

"Clarke isn't allowed to have pets in her apartment," Bellamy reminds her. Plus, getting someone a dog is more of a dating-for-a-while present than an I'm-in-love-with-you-please be-in-love-with-me-too present.

"The plane then," Raven shrugs, and Bellamy rolls his eyes.

"Please remember this is for Clarke, not for you," he sighs. Raven scowls.

"Well, I want the plane, so that can be my Christmas present," she tells him.

"You are literally no help at all," Bellamy shakes his head.

"Why don't you just get Clarke to pick it out," Raven suggests, picking up a remote control car and studying it.

"But then it won't be a surprise," Bellamy points out. The surprise part is very important. It's not romantic if it isn't a surprise.

"So don't tell her it's for her," Raven says as if it's obvious. "Just say you need help picking a present for a girl and that you value her opinion."

"She's gonna know it's her," Bellamy says dryly.

"Probably," Raven snorts. "I don't know how she hasn't figured it out already, you're so fucking obvious with your ridiculous heart eyes."

"I don't have ridiculous heart eyes," Bellamy says defensively.

"You do," Raven smirks. "So what if she knows? She'll think it's cute that you're going to all the effort. She'll play along and act surprised when you give her the gift," she shrugs. And when she puts it that way it actually does sound kind of nice. So he decides that's what he's going to do.

He decides on jewellery, even though he knows Clarke doesn't wear that much jewellery, but she does wear earrings and she has a nice collection of them. Plus you can't really mistake jewellery for a platonic present, right?

"I need your help picking out a present for someone," he tells her, showing up at her apartment unannounced on a Saturday morning. She's still in her pyjamas, but she doesn't look unhappy to see him.

"Christmas shopping?" she sounds excited and Bellamy smirks. He'd really like to kiss her about now. Maybe in a few weeks he'll be able to do that.

"Christmas shopping," he affirms.

"Okay, let me go and get dressed," she hurries off to put clothes on and comes back all rugged up and ready to go. Bellamy resists the urge to tell her how cute she looks.

"Who are you buying a present for?" Clarke asks, once they're on their way. Bellamy gives her a sidelong glance.

"A girl," he says. "Someone I like," he says vaguely.

"A girl you like?" Clarke asks, and Bellamy wonders if she's guessed already.

"Yeah," he nods. He glances at her again, but she's not looking at him and he can't read her expression. "I think she might like me too. So I want to get her something to let her know I like her."

"Oh," is all Clarke says, and Bellamy is pretty sure she's figured out it's her, but has decided to play along. Otherwise she'd be asking who it was, right? There would be a million questions. So she knows. That's okay. Good even. She knows it's her and she's not telling him he shouldn't do it, so that's a good sign.

"What do you think I should get her?" he asks. Clarke shrugs. "It has to be romantic."

"Of course," she says, but she doesn't offer any suggestions. Maybe she's testing him.

They reach a department store and Bellamy immediately leads Clarke to the jewellery section. She seems to like the idea of jewellery, and Bellamy is glad he went with his gut instinct.

"Earrings?" he suggests. He looks at the earrings Clarke is wearing right now, little round pearls. He's pretty sure she notices, so if it wasn't obvious already that he's shopping for her, then it certainly is now.

"How about a watch?" Clarke counters, much to Bellamy's surprise. Surely she really is testing him. Watches so aren't romantic.

"A watch, Clarke? Really?"

"Everyone needs a watch," Clarke shrugs. She has to be joking.

"Okay, for starters, I'm trying to be romantic, not practical. And besides, you don't wear a watch," Bellamy points out, knowing she won't wear a watch because it gets in the way while she's painting. And yeah, he pretty much just told her the present is for her. But Raven was right, and Clarke pretends not to notice.

"I have a watch though. My dad's watch. And I don't wear it because it gets in the way when I'm painting," she confirms.

"Exactly. Watches are dumb. Everyone just uses their phones anyway," Bellamy says. "So help me pick out some earrings." He wanders over to a cabinet full of earrings, and he's very glad he has Clarke with him, because it's kind of overwhelming. He glances over at her and sees her staring at a pair, her eyes bright. Those are the ones then. He sidles up to her and follows her gaze down to the pair she's looking at. Little stars, almost like shooting stars. He glances at her again, and she looks lost in thought.

"You like those?" he asks, expecting her to tell him yes. But to his surprise she tries to brush him off, telling him he can find something better. Maybe she's worried about the price. But he doesn't really care about the price. Nothing is too much for Clarke.

She tries to act like the person he's buying them for isn't her, suggesting they might have different tastes, and it's cute, and he's glad she's playing along, because that makes it easier.

He buys the earrings and turns back to Clarke, grinning. To his surprise she almost looks… sad? Maybe she really doesn't like the earrings.

"You really like her, huh?" she says softly, and Bellamy considers her. Does she think this is just some stupid crush, where he gives her an expensive present so he can sleep with her and then pretend it never happened?

"Yeah," he says, serious. "Might even be in love with her." And maybe it's too much, because Clarke looks like she's definitely processing. But then she smiles and Bellamy grins back in relief.

"Good luck," she says, and Bellamy feels like they're sharing a private joke.

"Thanks."

He's going to give them to her at the Christmas party, or at least that's the plan. But then he can't find the right time to pull her aside. He knows Raven already knows, but he doesn't know who else Clarke might have told, and he doesn't want to do it in front of everyone. It should be a private moment. Besides, what if he's been wrong all this time and Clarke doesn't actually like him back? It would be embarrassing and ruin the whole night. So he just enjoys himself and gives her the paintbrushes, and tries to tell her with his eyes that he'll give her the other gift later.

As the night progresses he just gets more and more nervous. It's one thing in theory to tell her he's in love with her, but actually doing it is a whole different kettle of fish. By the time he offers to drive her home he's pretty much convinced himself it's all in his head and that she doesn't like him at all.

He's got to do it though. Otherwise she'll think he likes someone else, and he doesn't want that. So under the streetlight in his car outside Clarke's apartment building, his heart in his throat he pulls out the earrings and presents them to her. She stares at the box for a moment like she can't quite comprehend what's happening. She opens the box and Bellamy waits anxiously for her to say something.

"These are for me?" she asks. Is she actually surprised? She was there. She knew. She was just playing along. He thinks. He's pretty sure. But he has a whole thing he wants to say, so he brushes off her surprise. Maybe she's just drunk.

"Remember that night I made you come and watch the meteor shower? And you asked me if I made a wish?"

"You said you wouldn't know what to wish for," Clarke says, glancing at him.

"I figured it out now. What I'd wish for." You. But he doesn't need to say it. And then she's smiling, beaming, and kissing him, and it's everything he could have hoped for and he doesn't ever want to stop. But she pulls away suddenly and Bellamy opens his eyes in confusion. She's frowning, and suddenly he feels like he's done something wrong.

"I can't believe you made me think you wanted somebody else," she huffs. "That's just cruel."

"Come on, you had to know it was you," he says nervously. He had been sure she knew.

"I didn't know," she says, and he feels like a complete jerk. He's tried to be romantic and instead he'd hurt her. Of course that's something he would do. Classic Bellamy.

"Then I'm sorry," he apologises. "I wanted it to be romantic," he shrugs, looking down. He can't believe he fucked up so badly. But then she's calling him a dork affectionately and telling him she's going to wear the earrings forever, and he's pretty sure he's forgiven. He watches her as she changes her earrings to the new ones, and he feels a sudden rush of affection for her.

"Clarke?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you, you know?" he says, swallowing. He has to make sure she knows. But she knows, she knows. And she tells him she loves him too, and she kisses him some more and honestly it's the best Christmas he's ever had. But he's pretty sure they're only going to get better from now on.