AN: So we're still basically on The Morning After… or the day after, I guess. We'll be picking up the pace a little in the next chapter, but for now, I hope you enjoy some Clarke/Raven banter and a laid back second date. And if you think kiwi allergy is not a thing, I can assure you it is – I'm allergic to it myself, which I didn't realize until my early twenties when I was talking to a friend and said something about how kiwi "itches" when you eat it, and she was like "no, it doesn't, you're probably allergic"… so it turned out my mom had been unknowingly trying to poison me my entire childhood, giving me and my sister a kiwi to share for breakfast every day!

Right, enough of the personal anecdotes – on with the story! Chapter title from "This Years Love", possibly my favorite David Gray song. I don't own anything relating to The 100, as usual

See the end of the chapter for warnings (if you want)

13

Every Dream Inside My Soul

Clarke thinks she does pretty well not getting distracted during her story time at the library that afternoon. She even answers random questions and spends five minutes after the session in a serious discussion about one of the books she read with her favorite (she knows she shouldn't have favorites, but she's only human) listener, a little boy named Ethan who always has a million questions.

Eventually, though, Ethan's mom manages to lure him away with the promise of stopping for ice cream on the way home, and Clarke quickly heads out. She has almost an hour and a half before she needs to be in Greenwich and the train shouldn't take long, but she wants to get home and clean up her bedroom a little, maybe get out the vacuum (and scare Bas half to death in the process), just generally make sure the place is date friendly.

She stops on the way to buy some condoms – since she doesn't bring hook-ups home, she normally doesn't have any – and grabs some beer at the same time. She's no expert, but she finds a type that Zeke sometimes buys and that she likes herself, so hopefully Bellamy will approve too. At the register, she also grabs a toothbrush since she, unlike Bellamy, apparently, doesn't keep a stash of those in her bathroom cabinet.

When she gets home, she quickly tosses the few pieces of clothing that have ended up on the floor in her bedroom over the last couple of days into the hamper, changes the sheets, gives the bathroom a quick clean while she's at it, and then brings the vacuum out. Bas gives her the evil eye from her perch high up on one of the bookshelves, and refuses to come down even when she's done.

The first Transfer is run of the mill – ninety-five-year-old Hester Jones, resident at a nursing home that looks very nice from the outside. She's had an interesting life, her memories ranging from happy moments like her own birthdays, weddings of friends' and siblings', baptisms for nieces and nephews and eventually great-nieces and great-nephews, to amazing experiences in what Clarke thinks must be the rainforest in the Amazon.

A pretty cool woman, she concludes.

Raven's waiting for her when she pushes the door open to the coffee shop on University Place where they'd agreed to meet.

"Finally!" she exclaims.

Clarke raises an eyebrow and looks at the clock above Raven's head.

"I told you I had a Transfer down on Houston Street at six, it's not even half past. You do know we don't have teleporting abilities, right?"

"Oh." Raven glances at the clock too. "Sorry, I assumed you'd be late because you were busy sexting Loverboy or something, so I took out my annoyance in advance."

OK, so she did text Bellamy on the walk here… but she can multi-task. It didn't delay her, and it was definitely not sexting.

"Well, I would appreciate if you wait until I actually do something to annoy you before you're annoyed with me, just for future reference."

"Yeah, yeah, sit," Raven orders. "I know you have to run in, like, an hour, and I want all the dirt on your hot date last night."

"You know," Clarke starts as she takes the chair across from her friend, "I don't think it's fair of you to rib me about him just to turn around and want to hear everything."

"Life's not fair, babe," Raven replies with a shrug. "You should have gotten used to that by now."

Clarke sighs, but she does tell Raven almost everything about last night and today. The other girl has no problem sharing – in Clarke's opinion – way too intimate details about her own sex life now and then, but Clarke just doesn't feel comfortable revealing every little thing. She gives her friend the broad strokes, and admits that, yes, the sex was amazing, better than she's had in a long time, when pressed. But that's it, that's where she draws the line, no matter how much Raven wheedles her to reveal more.

She's almost relieved when her phone beeps, announcing that she has thirty minutes until her next Transfer, and she has to leave.

This one goes off without a hitch too, and Clarke's stepping onto the train a few minutes after eight. She texts Bellamy as it leaves Canal Street.

On my way home :-)

Should be 30 min tops

The speech bubble pops up and his reply comes a moment later.

OK, I'll head out too :-)

What are you in the mood for?

She's sorely tempted to just text back you, possibly influenced by Raven's many innuendos during their hour long talk, but she resists.

Honestly, I'm totally craving
pizza from Juliana's, that OK?

Of course, I've never tried it
but I've heard it's the best
in Brooklyn.

Best in NY, trust me ;-)

But it's out of your way, so I
can just get it delivered?

Sounds good.

Anything you don't eat?
Allergies? Or anything special
you want?

Well, I'm allergic to kiwi, but
I don't think that's relevant…

No, ew, kiwi on pizza?

Nothing else?

Nope, I'm good with what
you're having, as long as it's
not liver or something :-/

Yes, my favorite pizza toppings
are liver and tripe :-P

I knew it ;-)

I usually just get extra mozzarella,
mushrooms, onions and prosciutto

He sends a thumbs up to that.

OK, I'll order, it should get here
around the same time as you ;-)

Great :-) getting in the car now

See you soon :-*

She sends a kiss back before calling the pizza order in, adding a couple of cannoli just because they're delicious.

When she gets home, Bas has finally deigned to come down from the bookcase. She's curled up on the couch, seemingly fast asleep, but when Clarke drops her phone on the coffee table, she opens one eye and gives her a suspicious look.

"Don't worry, the vacuum's not coming out again today," Clarke assures her.

Bas still keeps one eye on her as she darts around the apartment, lighting a couple of (cat friendly) candles to set the mood and clearing off the coffee table.

When she's happy with the space, she goes into the bathroom to take a quick look in the mirror. The make-up she applied earlier still looks fine, and she doesn't see the point in changing, but she lets her hair out, detangling the knots with her fingers. Since it's been in a bun for so long, her natural curls are intensified.

She's just put her bottle of body mist back into the bathroom cabinet when there's a knock on the door.

She knows it'll be him, but when she sees Bellamy on the other side of the door, her stomach still does a little swoop. He has a duffel bag over one shoulder and a six-pack in his hand. Clarke can't help but laugh when she realizes that it's the same kind that she bought earlier.

"What?" he asks with a small frown.

"Great minds think alike, I guess," she says, taking the beer from him. "I picked up a six-pack of this earlier, too."

"Ah." He closes the door behind him and drops his bag on the floor before reaching for her hand and pulling her closer. "Hey."

She can't help the smile tugging at her lips. "Hey."

He leans down for a quick kiss before straightening up again and pulling his jacket off, revealing a casual, dark grey shirt instead of the t-shirt he put on this morning. He hangs the jacket on one of the hooks under the coat rack and picks up the duffel bag again.

"Clothes for work," he explains. "Didn't feel like blinding you with my fluorescent uniform tonight. Brought the stuff I'll need for school tomorrow too, so I won't have to stop at home before class."

"Great, just drop that in the bedroom."

He heads towards the bedrooms while Clarke takes a right into the kitchen, putting the beer in the fridge and taking out her six-pack, which is nice and cold by now.

"The food should be here in ten minutes or so," she says when she hears him leave the bedroom, putting the beer down on the kitchen counter. "You want to find something to watch on Netflix while we wait?"

She feels Bellamy come up behind her, and immediately, her heartrate quickens. He sweeps her hair over her shoulder, exposing the side of her neck, before placing one hand against the counter on either side of her, effectively caging her in. Not that she wants to get away from him…

"We could do that," he agrees, voice low, before placing a kiss just below her ear. "Or…"

Clarke turns in the circle of his arms, leaning back on her elbows against the counter. "What, a quickie before the pizza guy gets here?"

He chuckles at that, stepping closer so they're just barely an inch apart. "Trust me, Princess – we're going to need more than ten minutes for that."

The words send shivers of anticipation through her and she closes the last of the distance between them, pulling him down for a kiss that quickly turns dirty. Her fingers curl into his hair, holding him to her, as his hands slide under her sweater and up her back, warm and rough.

The counter is digging into her back, but she barely notices it, her entire being focused on Bellamy, his lips on hers, his body pressed against her, the scent that she's getting used to surrounding her.

She lets the feeling fill her mind, pushing everything else aside, and when there's another knock on the door, it feels like it can't have been more than a few minutes.

They pull apart, blinking at each other for a moment, both breathing hard. Then there's another knock on the door and Bellamy takes a step back, clearing his throat.

"Food's here," he says, unnecessarily, and Clarke can't help the laugh that escapes her.

"No kidding."

She steps around him, yelping when he pinches her side, and grabs some money from her purse on her way to the door.

The delivery guy, a bored looking boy that can't be older than eighteen, hands over the pizza box and paper bag with the cannoli and takes her money without more than a 'that'll be 54 bucks'.

"Well, it definitely smells amazing," Bellamy notes when she returns with the food. He's taken a seat on the couch, Bas stretched out next to him.

"Just wait until you taste it – even better," Clarke promises, grabbing the beer from the counter and placing both that and the food on the coffee table. "I would recommend using your fingers, but I can get you a plate and cutlery if you want."

"Nah," he replies, opening the box and peeking inside. "But maybe bring a kitchen roll? This could get messy."

She does before flopping down on the couch next to him and grabbing the remote.

"I was thinking of starting Parks and Rec from the beginning," she says, starting up Netflix. "Does that work or do you want to watch a movie or something else?"

"That's fine," he replies, opening a bottle of beer for each of them before grabbing the first slice.

"Great." She starts the first episode before grabbing a slice of her own.

"OK, yeah, this is really good," Bellamy admits a little later.

"Told you."

"We usually order from Rosa's in Maspeth, have you been there?"

Clarke shakes her head and swallows the mouthful of beer before answering. "Nope."

"We'll have to try it next time we're in my neck of the woods then. I'd say it's basically on par with this, but I might be biased."

By the time the pizza's gone (Bas is still cleaning her paws after Bellamy caved under her pleading gaze ten minutes ago and gave her a few pieces of prosciutto) the third episode has just started and Clarke is finishing off her second beer.

"OK, I've been dying to ask," Bellamy starts, tossing the used paper towels into the now empty pizza box and closing it. "What's in the paper bag?"

She grabs the bag and holds it open for him. "Dessert."

He gives her a long look. "Not the kind of dessert I was hoping for."

It's such a cliché thing to say that she can't resist rolling her eyes. "Keep it in your pants, Casanova, there's plenty of time for that later."

He laughs, sticking his hand in the bag. "I guess I'll have to settle for this for now then."

She just shakes her head and accepts the cannoli he hands her.

"You might regret those words, the cannoli from Juliana's are almost more famous than their pizza and the best in the city, I promise."

He eyes the cannoli for a moment before taking a big bite.

"OK, yeah, this time I have to agree with you. These are amazing."

"Right?" She takes a bite of her own, closing her eyes as she chews and swallows. "Delicious."

"Best thing you've had in your mouth all night?" Bellamy asks, voice seemingly innocent.

She gives him a look through narrowed eyes, suspicious of where he's going with that question. "Maybe…"

The corner of his mouth lifts up in a smirk. "Night's still young."

Clarke can't help but snort out a laugh at that. "God, where do you get these?" she asks. "Cheesy pick-up lines 101?"

"What, I need to pick you up?"

She elbows him in the side. "You're lucky you don't."

Bellamy just laughs, popping the last piece of the cannoli in his mouth, and she follows suit.

"Let me just get rid of this stuff, back in a sec."

Clarke gets up from the couch and grabs the pizza box, the bag the cannoli were in and the roll of paper towels and rounds the kitchen counter. She stuffs the trash in the trash can and puts the paper towels back on the counter.

"Hey, when do you need to get up tomorrow?" she asks over her shoulder. "I can program the coffee maker so it'll start on its own, that way the coffee will be waiting for you."

"Probably seven?" he replies. "Just need a quick shower, really."

Clarke turns to give him a frown. "No breakfast?"

He shrugs. "I can't eat first thing in the morning, I usually grab something about an hour into my shift. I can pick up coffee on the way too, you don't have to go to any trouble on my account."

"Don't be silly, it'll take me, like thirty seconds." She turns back to the coffee maker and loads it with coffee powder and water, punching a few buttons to get it to turn on at seven the next morning. "There we go, all set for some fresh coffee goodness in the morning."

When she gets back to the couch again, Bellamy has moved to one of the wide chaises and stretched out a little more, one arm along the back of the couch. She settles in next to him, stretching her legs out as well, and his arm comes down around her shoulders.

"Thanks, Princess."

"Of course."

Bas jumps onto the couch on his other side, immediately flopping onto her back and stretching her legs in four different directions.

Bellamy gives Clarke a questioning look. "Is this a trap?"

She chuckles but shakes her head. "Nope, Bas loves belly rubs. She's the exception of the rule."

"So I won't lose a hand if I fall for it?"

To demonstrate her point, she leans across him and runs her nails up and down Bastet's belly. Loud purring immediately fills the room.

"Huh," Bellamy notes when she straightens up again. His arm slides lower, wrapping around her waist and pulling her closer, while he takes over the petting of Bas with his other hand. "That's a first. Our neighbor had a cat that used to climb the fire escape up to our floor and howl until we let it into the apartment, the one time I actually tried to pet it like this I ended up going to the ER to get a tetanus shot."

"Poor baby."

Clarke settles in against him, sliding down a little more on the couch to get comfortable, so that they're both half-lying on the chaise, and leans her head back against his shoulder.

She tries to follow the plot, really, but she's failing miserably. Bellamy keeps trailing his fingers up and down her arm, and even though she's still wearing the long sleeved, high neck cashmere sweater, the touch sends sparks through her. Bas decides she's had enough belly rubs after a few minutes and jumps off the couch, and then he moves his other hand to Clarke's leg, thumb rubbing circles on her thigh, and it's frankly extremely distracting.

She glances up at him, but his eyes are trained on the TV and he seems completely unaffected. Well… two can play that game.

Under the pretense of checking her phone on the coffee table – not that she needs to – Clarke sits up straight for a moment, and when she leans back, she shifts just slightly, so her arm's not squished between them but resting over his stomach. This way, her hand lands naturally on his leg. There's no discernable reaction, and she just lets it rest there for a moment, before running her nails up and down once.

This time, she feels Bellamy tense against her, the hand on her leg stilling and his fingers digging into her arm just slightly.

"Something wrong?" she asks innocently, and he coughs once.

"Nope, all good."

They settle in again, neither of them moving their hands but both keeping perfectly still. Then Bellamy ups the ante and slides his hand down her leg, to her knee, before running it back up, this time sliding his fingers around to the inside of her thigh. When his thumb grazes the seam at her crotch just briefly, Clarke can't help but suck in a sharp breath.

His hand stills, just half an inch or so further down on her thigh. "You OK?"

She has to swallow before she can answer, and even then she can tell that her voice is a little strained. "Just great."

He hums and slides his hand back down. She grinds her teeth together to not let on that he's really getting to her and tries to figure out how to turn the tables on him again.

She manages to keep her breathing more or less normal as he continues trailing his fingers up and down her inner thigh. The next time he goes a little too far north, she retaliates by lifting her hand to interlace with his against her shoulder. He squeezes her fingers and she squeezes back before moving hers a little to be able to wrap her thumb and index finger around his middle finger, moving them back and forth slowly. To really drive the point home, she licks her lips and then bites the bottom one.

Before she can react, she's on her back on the couch, Bellamy looming above her.

"Are you trying to drive me crazy, Princess?" he asks before leaning down to nose at her throat.

She tilts her head to give him better access and feels his finger slip inside the neck of her sweater, pulling it down so he can place a kiss on the hickey he left there this morning.

"You started it," she replies, reaching up to undo the first button in his shirt.

"I did," he admits, running a hand up her side and squeezing her breast lightly. "Wanted to see how long it would take for you to break."

Clarke lets out a chuckle at that, which quickly turns into a moan when he grinds his hips against hers.

"You broke first," she notes breathlessly, moving on to the second button. "So I win."

He lifts his head, dark eyes locking with hers. "I'm OK with that."

His mouth descends on hers and she eagerly returns the kiss, opening up for him when he traces the seam of her lips with his tongue. She continues her work on his shirt, getting all the buttons she can undone before sliding her hands down his chest and then dragging her nails up his stomach.

Bellamy groans into her mouth and slips a hand under her sweater, up her stomach to her breast, where he pushes her bra to the side and pinches her nipple lightly. She bucks against him, relishing the feeling of his hardening dick against her, even if it is through double layers of denim and cotton. But no clothes at all would be better, so she moves her attention to the button of his pants and quickly gets that and the fly undone, impatiently pushing the pants down his hips.

She can't get them further than to mid-thigh using her hands, though, so she switches to her feet instead, getting the pants to his knees, which are of course pressed against the couch. Bellamy breaks the kiss and raises an eyebrow at her.

"Eager, Princess?"

"Shut up."

Clarke takes the opportunity to push his shirt off his shoulders and he shrugs out of it completely, tossing it on the couch next to them. He somehow manages to get his jeans off the rest of the way too, leaving him in only his boxers above her.

"Someone's overdressed," he notes, leaning down to kiss her again.

She feels his hand at the button of her own jeans, popping it open and sliding the zipper down. She lifts her hips a little, to help him get them off, but instead he slips a hand into her underwear. She gasps into his mouth when he pauses at her clit, circling the nub with one finger briefly before continuing.

A moment later, Bellamy pushes one finger inside her, and her hips jerk against his hand of their own accord. As he sets an infuriatingly slow pace, she buries her fingers in his hair, scraping her nails lightly against his scalp in time with his finger moving inside her.

When he presses his thumb against her clit, she finally breaks the kiss.

"Fuck…"

He chuckles against her ear. "Soon, baby."

Clarke lets out a breathless laugh too, lifting her hips a little more next time his finger sinks deeper into her, and manages to get her jeans off her hips. He realizes what she's trying to do and pushes himself off her, slipping his finger out of her and making her whine in protest, before he pulls her jeans off. He trails kisses up her thigh, placing one against her sex, through the panties she's still wearing, before crawling up her body again.

She hooks her heels behind his thighs and pulls him down on top of her. "Better."

Bellamy hums in agreement before moving his hips a little so she feels him right at her entrance, two thin layers the only thing separating them. He shifts slightly, his length rubbing against her clit, and she squeezes her eyes shut against the intense feeling.

A moment later, she feels his hand slide down her thigh and hook just above her knee, pulling her leg up. She takes the hint and wraps both legs around his waist at the same time as his hands close around her waist, and the next thing she knows, they're both upright.

Instinctively, Clarke wraps her arms tightly around his neck. "You're lucky you didn't drop me!"

Bellamy just chuckles. "I know what I'm doing, Princess, trust me."

He pushes the hem of her sweater up, enough so he can bend down and run his tongue over her breast, along the edge of her bra. His hands move down to wrap around her waist again, and she releases her grip on him to pull the sweater over her head. He hums happily, trailing wet kisses up her chest, nipping at her collar bone.

Clarke manages to shift her hips a little, grinding against him and getting a groan in return.

"Bed," she orders, running a hand down his back and up again, her nails scraping against his spine. "Now."

Bellamy pulls away from her with a chuckle. "Bossy Princess."

She doesn't reply, just pulls him in for a kiss.

He does heed her request, though, maneuvering them around the couch in the direction of her bedroom. She keeps one arm wrapped around him while she uses the other to unhook her bra behind her back. The garment remains in place though, squished between their bodies for now.

Bellamy doesn't stop until his legs hit the side of her bed, and then he leans forward to put her down gently on the mattress. She scoots backwards so he can join her, pulling her bra off completely and throwing it in the general direction of the hamper.

She's stretched out sideways over the bed, and for a moment the thought that she's glad she went for the grand king size, despite not technically needing the extra space herself, flashes through her mind.

Then he's on top of her, pushing her panties down just enough so he can slide two fingers inside her easily. At the same time, his mouth closes around her nipple, and Clarke lets out a loud moan.

She tries to pull her leg up, so she can get better purchase and push back against his hand, but that makes her panties slide up her leg. Bellamy pulls away from her impatiently, removing them completely, and before he has a chance to return to his previous position, she pushes him onto his back and straddles him on the bed, grinding down on him and probably soaking the boxers that he's still wearing.

"Oh, fuck," he groans, his hands finding her hips and his fingers digging into the flesh.

Remembering his earlier teasing, Clarke leans in close, teeth almost grazing his ear. "Soon, baby."

He slides one hand into her hair and tugs her up until he can claim her lips in an almost aggressive kiss, teeth and lips and tongues clashing together without much coordination for a moment, before he pulls her bottom lip into his mouth, biting down lightly and drawing a gasp from her. Bellamy releases her lip and slows the kiss down, the hand that was buried in her hair trailing down her throat and chest to palm her breast before he tweaks her nipple, making her arch into his touch.

She feels his other hand leave her hip and hears the rustle of fabric, and when she slides her hips against his again, she feels his hard length against her core, nothing between them finally. Clarke grinds down on him again, angling her hips a little so the head rubs against her clit, sending sparks of pleasure through her, and breaks the kiss to gasp for air.

Part of her wants to move this along, get him inside her, but the other part wants to stay right here, because the slide of his erection against her clit is bringing her closer and closer to the edge and she just wants to…

"Come on, Princess," Bellamy murmurs against her throat. "I've got you, just let go."

The hand covering her breast slides down, pressing against the small of her back to pull her tighter against him, and he noses at her chin to get her to move. She does, arching her back so he can reach her breast, and the next time she grinds down on him, he pulls a nipple into his mouth at the same time as he bucks up against her, increasing the pressure on her clit and that's it. Clarke soars over the edge, fingers closing around the bedspread underneath him, a long, high-pitched whine that she vaguely realizes must be coming from her filling the air.

When she finally comes down, Bellamy's still beneath her, hands running up and down her sides and lips pressed to her temple. She pulls in a ragged breath. "God, that was…"

He chuckles, a rumble that goes through both of them, and squeezes her hip. "I think that was a first for me, honestly, but fuck, babe, that was hot."

"Yeah?"

Clarke pushes herself up on an elbow before leaning down to kiss him, moving her hips against his and finding him just as hard as a few minutes ago. She jumps a little as his length brushes against her clit, still sensitive from her orgasm, and moves up a few inches, so he's just at her opening. What she really wants to do is just push down, pull him deep inside her, but she manages to resist.

Bellamy breaks the kiss after a few minutes. "There are condoms in my bag, outside pocket," he tells her and she nods, kissing him once more before reluctantly getting up.

Instead of his bag, though, she opens the drawer in her nightstand and grabs the box of condoms she picked up earlier, pulling out one and climbing back on the bed, settling against his thighs.

He raises an eyebrow. "You just happened to have the kind of condoms I prefer?"

She shrugs, opening the foil packet and wrapping her fingers around him, smiling when he jerks into her hand a little. "Didn't have any, so I had to pick some up anyway, figured I might as well get these," she says before slowly rolling the condom on, eyes intent on his the whole time. "Are you complaining?"

He immediately shakes his head. "Fuck, no. Now come here."

Clarke obediently crawls up his body until she's back in the position she was in a moment ago. This time, when she feels his dick at her entrance, she shifts her hips a little to pull him inside her at the same time as he thrusts up. He pushes inside her with a bit more force than either of them had anticipated, and she squeezes her eyes closed at the feeling, just this side of painful, as he bottoms out.

"Oh fuck," she breathes shakily.

"OK?" Bellamy mumbles, a hint of worry in his tone, and she nods quickly.

"God, yes, don't stop."

His arm comes up to wrap around her waist and then she's on her back with him on top of her. She feels his teeth graze her throat and then his mouth at her ear. "Wasn't planning on it."

He pulls out of her slowly before pushing back in with a snap of his hips, making her cry out.

"Good?"

Instead of replying, she pulls him down for a kiss and bends her legs, pushing up against him. He takes the hint and keeps moving, setting a fast pace, thrusts harder and hands rougher against her skin than last night or this morning, but exactly what she wants right now. It's not long before she feels him tense, both above her and inside her, and she squeezes her inner muscles to show him that it's OK to let go. He surprises her, though, grinding his pelvic bone against her clit on his final thrust, and just as she feels him start pulsing inside her, she's pushed over the edge for a second time.

He collapses on top of her, his weight pushing her into the mattress, but Clarke kind of likes it, feeling him pressed against her, inside her, around her… too soon, though, he pulls out of her before rolling them so he's on his back and she's on top instead.

She sighs and buries her face against his throat, the stubble there a little scratchy against her skin.

"You OK?" Bellamy asks quietly after a moment, pressing a kiss against the top of her head.

She hums. "Way better than OK."

"You sure? I wasn't too… rough?"

Hearing the hesitation in his voice, she pushes herself up a little so she can meet his eyes. "You want to know a secret?" she asks, and he nods. "Sometimes I like it a little rough."

The corner of his mouth lifts up in a smirk. "Is that so?"

Clarke nods. "Uh-huh."

"I'll have to keep that in mind."

She kisses him before pushing off him completely and getting to her feet. "Please do."

She feels his eyes on her as she pads into the bathroom, pushing the door almost closed behind her but not completely. She brushes her teeth, washes her make-up off and pees before leaving the room again.

Bellamy hasn't moved in the time she's been gone, still stretched out the wrong way on the bed. She raises an eyebrow at him.

"You might want to turn ninety degrees or so," she suggests, moving to the side of the bed that she usually sleeps on. "Unless you have something against pillows."

He pushes himself into a sitting position and pulls her to him, tilting his head up for a kiss. She happily obliges.

"I was getting to that," he says when she pulls back, and she rolls her eyes.

"There's a toothbrush on the counter in the bathroom," she tells him. "Though my selection isn't as good as yours."

He gets up with a chuckle. "I think I'll live."

He disappears into the bathroom and Clarke strips the bedspread off before pausing in front of the door to the walk-in closet. She usually wears a tank top and shorts to bed, but she doesn't particularly want to put on any clothes right now… instead, she crawls into bed, pulling the comforter up enough so it covers her breasts, and turns on the light on the nightstand.

Bellamy returns a few minutes later, the fresh scent of her toothpaste hitting her when he gets into the bed next to her. He scoots closer, sliding an arm around her waist and pulls her to him, so her back's against his front.

"Hmm…" He buries his nose against her neck. "You always sleep in the nude?"

"Nope," she replies, enjoying feeling his naked body pressed against hers. "You mind?"

She feels more than hears the chuckle he lets out, a puff of warm air against her neck. "Definitely not."

Clarke reaches out to grab the remote off the nightstand, pushing the button to close the blinds on the windows facing the building across the street.

"Fancy," Bellamy notes as they appear at the top of the windows and start sliding down.

"I usually don't close the ones facing the river, especially not in the winter," she says. "I can if you want?"

"No, that's fine, not like anyone can see in or anything."

She puts the remote down again, turns off the light and settles into her pillows.

"You have work tomorrow?" he asks after a moment.

She has a Transfer at eleven, but he'll be at work then so she doesn't have to come up with an excuse for that.

"Yeah, homework session at three."

Bellamy hums behind her. "I need to leave for my class at six thirty, probably, will you be back in time to let me in? I can always put my stuff in the car."

The homework session runs to five and unlike the story times, the kids are usually out the door on the dot.

"I should be back at five thirty at the latest," she says.

"OK, that works," he replies.

"When do you get off work?"

"Four, but I can grab a coffee or something while I wait, don't worry about it."

"Don't be ridiculous, there's a spare key in the bowl on the table by the door, just take that," she tells him.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. You have to lock up when you leave anyway, I don't really want to sleep with the front door unlocked." Suddenly, she realizes what it might sound like in his ears and continues. "It doesn't have to be a big deal."

His arm around her waist tightens. "No, that's not… OK."

She relaxes again. "OK. Goodnight."

His lips brush against her shoulder. "Night, Princess."

Chapter warnings: explicit sexual content