Bellamy was feeling like the king of the hill and he relaxed back into his stadium seat. He hadn't been telling a lie to Clarke when he said there was no place else he'd rather be. And although he really did like football, it would be a lie to say her company wasn't a contributing factor to his mood.

He had been worrying about her since last night, after she'd gone cold on him as soon as he mentioned seeing a counselor. He'd been kicking himself for that since the second it left his mouth. He didn't know what to do when she tensed up, as he couldn't retract the statement. It was true that he wished she'd talk to someone about how she was feeling, not because he didn't want to be her go-to person, but because he thought it might help her cope. Now, he changed his mind, seeing how adamantly opposed she'd been, and how he thought it had cost him her friendship. If she didn't turn to him, where would she go? That thought scared him.

"Okay, can we go now, Clarke?" Jasper was practically laying on Harper so he could peer up at Clarke.

"Don't you want to wait til the game starts?" she questioned.

"No! My tongue burns now."

"Well, alright." Clarke stood up as Jasper scrambled over Harper. Bellamy stood up to let them out, as he was sitting on the end of the row. Clarke, Jasper and Monty filed out and Bellamy watched them over his shoulder. Jasper had his hands on Clarke's shoulders, pushing her to go faster as they jogged up the stairs, and he could hear her laughing at him over the dull roar of the crowd.

Bellamy knew she would be fine, that nothing was going to happen to her. She had Jasper and Monty right by her side… but his feet were carrying him after them, taking the stairs two at a time so that Clarke's blond head didn't disappear into the crowd. He was really digging the braids on her, even if she didn't love them.

"Are you sure you want just plain vanilla?" Jasper was asking Monty as Bellamy caught up with them.

"Yes, I don't like the way- Oh! Hey, Bellamy," Monty said, and Clarke turned around at the mention of his name. He watched as a small smile crept onto her face, wrinkling the painted Ms on her cheeks. All the girls looked goofy with their painted faces and braids, but Clarke made it look downright adorable.

"Wanted some ice cream?" she asked.

"Sure," Bellamy replied. Clarke paused to let him catch up to her as Jasper and Monty hurried ahead, their eyes fixed on their cold, sugary treats.

It was cool in the wide concrete hall that held the vendors, and Bellamy realized his bare chest was chilled as he saw Monty wearing his t-shirt. The sleeves hung practically down to his elbows on his skinny arms and the body of the shirt was like an ill fitting hospital gown. Bellamy thought the shirt was only a size large, but maybe it had been stretched out with wear over the past few years.

"Are you getting one, Clarke? Look here it says buy 2 get 1 free. What a bargain!" Jasper said.

Clarke looked up at him and asked, "Want to split one? I really only want the cone."

"Sure." Bellamy wasn't going to turn down that offer. Clarke insisted that she pay for it, and before Bellamy could disagree, she pressed the money into Jasper's hand and flashed a triumphant smile at Bellamy.

"Not fair," he mumbled.

"It's entirely fair," Clarke said stubbornly, pulling napkins from a dispenser on the counter, probably anticipating a spill and sticky hands from the boys.

Bellamy made a disgruntled sound.

"Want anything else? I think you can get a can of Bud for like, seven bucks."

"No thanks. I'd rather not waste my hard earned cash on over priced, piss warm beer."

Clarke snorted. "Strong opinion on that one."

"Yeah. I'm not much of a drinker anyways, I told you that."

"Woah, take this, take this!" Jasper said, his voice rising in panic as he hurried over to Clarke with two very large ice cream cones tettering in his hands.

"I got it, easy, Jasper," Clarke said through a smile, easing the treat from his hand.

"Okay. There. Thanks. After this, can we go to Goldy's Locker Room?"

"Yeah, no offense Bellamy, but I want to get a shirt that fits a bit better," Monty added, flapping his free arm in the excess material.

"None taken."

"Sure," Clarke said. "Let's go sit down and eat these first though."

"Okay," Jasper started to lead the way back.

Bellamy watched Clarke take a large lick of the swirled ice cream.

"Hey, I thought you said I got the ice cream part," Bellamy whined.

Clarke flashed him a look. "I was just making sure it was good."

"And was it?"

"Yes." Clarke took another lick before holding the cone out to Bellamy. He leaned down and took a bite off the top.

Clarke gasped, and he looked at her, immediately concerned.

"What kind of animal bites into ice cream?" Clarke made a mortified face, holding her other hand to her chest as if she were feeling faint.

Bellamy chuckled and licked his lips where he could feel some of the ice cream was lingering. "It's more effective. Did you know it takes 50 licks to eat the average scoop of ice cream?"

"Why on earth do you know that?"

"I dunno. I guess I'm just all about efficiency."

"But it's soft serve. You can't even chew it if you tried."

"Oh, I can chew it," Bellamy said as if that was something to be proud of, and Clarke looked as if she were trying not to smile.

"Whatever, weirdo."

"Says the one who only wanted the cone!"

"That's 'cause the cone is the best part! The bottom part when it gets all soft, but the outside is still crunchy? Mmm," Clarke explained.

"Ew. It's soggy."

Clarke shot him a glare and took another lick of the ice cream.

"Jasper! You walked past the gate!"

"I did?"

"Yeah. C'mon."

Jasper ambled back and Clarke handed him a napkin, because the chocolate side of his cone was already melting and dripping down over his fingers.

"Thanks, Mom," he said and trotted down the stairs after Monty.

Clarke rolled her eyes and followed him after handing the cone off to Bellamy. She paused at the end of the row and waved him inside.

"You want to sit on the end?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Go sit by the guys."

"Why?"

Clarke narrowed her eyes. "Because…? They're your friends?"

"You're my friend, too," he said. "Besides, how are we supposed to share this if I'm sitting down there?"

Clarke screwed her lips to the side as if her plan had been thwarted, then sat down in her previous seat beside Harper, leaving the outside chair open for Bellamy, and he happily sank back down into it.

He ate most of the ice cream while Clarke talked to Harper about Zack Annexstand, the brand new starting Quarterback. Bellamy wasn't going to kid himself, it was completely hot to hear her talking about football, and she actually sounded like she knew what she was talking about.

"I think he threw like, 960 yards his senior year in high school," Clarke said.

"940," Bellamy corrected, handing the cone back to her.

She scowled at him and took the ice cream. "940, whatever. I was close enough."

"Close only counts in horseshoes and handgrenades," Bellamy chided.

"Yeah, yeah," Clarke muttered, taking a bite out of the rim of the cone.

"My uncle used to say that!" Harper cried.

"The crazy one?" Clarke asked.

"Uh huh, that's the one. Good old Uncle Terry," Harper nodded. Bellamy had no idea who Uncle Terry was, but Clarke seemed to.

"When's the Gopher Spirit Rally starting?" he asked, turning back to Bellamy.

"Five, I think." he said, and as if on cue, the cheer squad and the marching band started to emerge from the tunnel. The entire student section got to their feet and cheered loudly, clapping and whooping.

While Bellamy typically preferred rap songs or even old school rock, there was just something about a live marching band that got the blood pumping. The thrumming of the drums and the brassy sounds and the deep tuba notes that echoed around the stadium gave life to everyone as they felt the beating of the drums in their chests.

Bellamy watched Clarke enjoying it as much as he was and hoped her first football game was everything she had dreamed it to be, even if her dad wasn't here with her. It had been heartbreaking when she told him on their walk to Buffalo Wild Wings that she was missing her father. He couldn't even imagine how she felt, having never had a real father figure in his life, but it must be devastating, to grow up with someone, make plans for the future, and then have them leave you as suddenly as he did. Clarke never even got to say goodbye to him… It made Bellamy's heart ache to think about it.

But now wasn't the time to think about that. Clarke leaned over and showed him the base of the cone, all soggy and weird looking. It was too loud to say much of anything to her, so he just made a face and she shook her head, popping the round bit of cone into her mouth. Clarke's eyes closed and her head tipped back as if in pure bliss, like it was the best thing she'd ever eaten.

She swallowed it and leaned up to Bellamy. Her lips brushed against his ear and he had to pretend he didn't feel the shiver that rose up his spine.

"Dee-licious!" She yelled, but over the roar of the surrounding crowd and the music, he barely heard it. He pulled back and shook his head at her, the grin that was ever-present around her on his lips. She just smiled sweetly and shrugged.

The band played a few more songs, then took a break while the cheerleaders did their routine and Goldy the Gopher ran around launching t-shirts into the student section. The other guys tried desperately to attract the attention of the man in the mascot costume, but they were unsuccessful, despite hoisting Monty into the air where he wildly flailed his arms.

Afterwards, the band returned and then the student section got really fired up. It was time to sing Minnasota Rouser, which was the University's fight song, and was played before every home game. It was a tradition that they were all getting to take part in for the first time, and Bellamy's heart raced like a little kid on Christmas morning; it was all just so exciting.

Clarke put one hand on his shoulder as she and Harper jumped up onto their seats, singing loudly and pumping their fists in the air.

Minnesota, hats off to thee!

To thy colors true we shall ever be,

Firm and strong, united are we.

Rah, rah, rah, for Ski-U-Mah,

Rah! Rah! Rah! Rah!

Rah for the U of M.

Bellamy joined in and the band played louder than they had before. The energy in the stadium was so high as the sun was starting to set over the Western end zone. Bellamy was immensely glad to be here, in this moment. He knew he had worked his ass to get both he and Octavia into school here, and this was a reward for all the hard work. What more could he want, really? All of his new friends, Octavia, Clarke, football? He was satisfied.

As the fight song ended, Clarke tripped on the edge of her stadium chair, and Bellamy was quick to steady her. She giggled into Bellamy's shoulder and as he righted her, back on her feet on the ground while Harper bellowed with laughter.

"Thanks!" She yelled before giving Harper a slug in the shoulder. Apparently it wasn't only him that Clarke liked to punch for laughing at her expense. Harper didn't seem to even notice the blow as she reenacted Clarke's stumbling step, falling into a very surprised Monty.

When the players came running out of the tunnel onto the field, the stadium again surged with energy as people waved their homemade banners and pumped their fists in the air, yelling at the tops of their lungs and jumping on one another, all in the name of school spirit.

Then, when the opposing team, the New Mexico State Aggies, came running out, they booed even louder than they had cheered. The stadium was almost exclusively Minnesota fans, as New Mexico was just so far away, and the sound of discouragement was so loud, Bellamy almost felt bad for the guys. Almost.

All of the students were up on their seats, stomping their feet leading up to the kickoff, but once the ball was in the air, it was dead silence for one...two...three seconds. Bellamy swore he heard Clarke's heart beating next to him. Electricity buzzed in the still air before it the kick was caught and the sound rushed back into the stadium, as if the vacuum that sucked it out had been reversed.

They booed and cheered their way through the first quarter. Bellamy found out another interesting fact about Clarke; when the game was tense, like when a pass was thrown or they were waiting on a call to be made by an official, she would grab onto someone. More often than not, it was Bellamy, either his wrist, or his knee if they were sitting, or if they were standing, she grabbed his whole arm and she craned her neck and stood up on her toes to see better while muttering under her breath.

Bellamy pretended like it bothered him, and would grumble everytime she did it, but honestly, she barely noticed. She was so into the game, maybe even more than Bellamy was. He had no qualms about her hanging off his arm or clutching his hand, especially when the call was in the Gopher's favor, or the pass was caught, because she would exclaim, Yes! and jump up and down while hugging his appendage closer.

At the end of the first quarter, they were tied at 7 after a strong back and forth battle on the field.

"Are you having fun?" Bellamy asked Clarke in the slight pause between quarters.

She turned her bright eyes on him and nodded embulliantly. Her cheeks were flushed despite the slight chill in the air, and it only made her blue eyes stand out more from her face.

"I'm glad," Bellamy said.

"Me too. How 'bout you? I mean, of course you're having a great time, it's football."

Bellamy chuckled. "Yeah, I do love football."

"Want to go sit by your guys?" Clarke asked.

"No. Who's arm would you grab then?" He teased, but he was wondering why she kept pressing that issue.

"Sorry," she said softly.

"Don't worry about it. You're keeping me warm, it's getting kinda cold."

Clarke smirked and scooped up her jacket from her seat, holding it out to Bellamy like a little kid presenting a crayon drawing.

"You think I would fit in that?" Bellamy frowned, pinching the tag between his thumb and pointer finger. "It's a women's medium."

Clarke shrugged and tossed it over his shoulder. Bellamy settled her jacket over him, not putting his arms in the sleeves because he didn't want to tear the water resistant material, because it didn't really stretch. It smelled like her sweet, shampoo scent.

"Much better," Clarke chirped. "Oh look, they're getting ready to kick off!"

The Aggies scored 50 seconds into the second quarter with a 45-yard field goal.

"Field goal! Field goal! Block it!" She screamed as if the players could hear her. The kick went unblocked and soared through the goalposts.

Clarke groaned immoderately and sagged into Bellamy's arm, which of course she had been clutching in anticipation of the other team scoring.

Bellamy liked this side of Clarke, this overly competitive nature, and it was his first time seeing it. He briefly wondered if she would be this competitive at other things, like card games or pick-up sports games. It could be fun to play something with her, because she was sure to be a fierce opponent and there would be no risk of the game being dull.

The Aggies didn't score again for the rest of the quarter, but the Gophers did, four times. And, three of their touchdowns had been in the last four minutes of the quarter. The third of which was a glories 76-yard punt return which had every Minnesota fan in the place whooping as Winfield zigzagged his way through the Aggies coverage unit and dodge six tackles. Six!

It was probably the best punt return that Bellamy had ever seen and it almost made him ache with envy. Clarke clearly shared that opinion, as she cheered so loud Bellamy wondered how hoarse her voice would be later. She jumped up and down, her braids bouncing on her shoulders and she hugged Harper, squealing as only a teenage girl could do.

Harper really didn't seem to have any idea what was going on, but she followed the energy of the crowd and Clarke was always leaning over and explaining things to her. Harper just nodded along and let Clarke enjoy the moment as most of the things she was being told went right over her head.

At halftime, the Gopher's were up 35-10, and as promised, Clarke went with Jasper and Monty to Goldie's Locker Room, which was, to Bellamy, just an overpriced merchandise trap.

He trailed after them though, even as Clarke and Raven started talking excitedly about the game while Octavia and Harper rolled their eyes at them.

"How's life, big brother?" Octavia asked, bouncing to his side. Bellamy smiled down at his sister.

"Pretty good, O'. Pretty good," He glanced up as Clarke tossed her head back in laughter at something Raven had said. This was definitely the happiest he'd seen her since they met on that fateful night.

"Yeah, this is fun, even though it is football," Octavia said.

"What? The football is the best part!"

Octavia peered up at him and cocked a brow. She'd gotten awfully good at that and it made her look much older than her eighteen years. "You sure about that?"

"Yeah, of course," Bellamy then realized what she was getting at so he tacked on. "You know I've always loved football."

"I know, but it's so much better in the company of friends, don't you think?"

"Yeah, I do," Bellamy said evenly. Octavia giggled, which was a sound he hadn't heard from her in a long time.

"Okay. Oh! Look at that hat!" She hurried off, spying something she liked through the window of the store. It was packed with people, and their group had paused at the entrance.

He met Clarke's eyes and she came to his side.

"You okay?" He asked, because suddenly, Clarke didn't look as bubbly as she had a few minutes ago.

"Yeah, fine. Just-pretty packed in there," She commented, looking at the store and she slid her hands into the back pockets of her cut offs, her elbows jutting out like a personal space bubble.

"It is. Don't go in there, then, Princess."

"Nah, it's alright. Someone has to supervise those two," She nodded at Monty and Jasper, who were chasing after a quarter rolling on the ground. Jasper darted in front of a group of people and nearly knocked a lady flat on her ass. He shouted an apology over his shoulder as he continued his chase.

"Well, okay. Just be careful."

"Of course," She said, watching the two boys.

"I think I'm going to get something to eat. Want anything?"

"Actually, could you get me something to drink? My throat is kinda dry."

"I wonder why," Bellamy teased and Clarke stuck her tongue out at him as she fished her money out of her pocket. "Catch you in a bit!" Bellamy said, hurrying away before she could give him any money.

"Bellamy!" He heard her call after him, but he kept walking, slipping in with the flow of fans walking the opposite direction.

As he walked along alone, browsing the selection of food venders lining the walls, he found himself missing Clarke at his side, which was ridiculous, because he'd left her not even five minutes ago. He caught himself gesturing at a fan dressed in a full replica of the Goldie the Gopher costume, about to point it out to her, when he stopped himself, looking at the empty space beside him.

It made him feel a little bit apprehensive, to say the least. Why had he gotten so used to her presence? He'd spent what? Maybe four nights with her and was already so accustomed to the feeling of her at his side.

He didn't even know her favorite color, her middle name, her favorite song, or what she even wanted to drink. When they'd gone out last night, she'd only gotten water, and at Buffalo Wild Wings, she'd sat at the opposite end of the table from him, so he hadn't even noticed what she'd been drinking.

"Hey, excuse me man." Bellamy was jolted from his thoughts as he was bumped into from behind.

"Sorry," Bellamy mumbled. What was happening to him? He gave his head a shake like a dog and refocused on the task at hand: finding something to eat.

He wound up at a place called Mayslacks. He ordered a ridiculously overpriced beef and cheddar sandwich with a side of seasoned waffle fries and a large Coke. Everything at sporting events was so expensive.

As he waited for them to call the number on his receipt, Bellamy wondered if Clarke would have rather had Diet Coke. Maybe he should have just gotten a water…

"Order 82!"

"Thanks," He said, retrieving the paper sack from a pretty brunette girl behind the counter. She smiled flirtatiously at him, purposely touching his hand when she handed over the cup. Bellamy gave her a tight lipped smile and retreated, making his way back to the East end zone. He'd wandered nearly to the opposite side of the stadium.

He glimpsed the clock on the jumbotron over the field, seeing he had four minutes until the start of the third quarter. Walking quickly, he slid into his seat with 39 seconds to spare.

"Thanks, Bellamy!"

His shirt landed back in his lap, thrown from farther down the row.

"Sure thing," he called back to Monty. Clarke was absorbed in looking at something on Harper's phone.

"Oh, so cute. Did you tell them what row we're in? Maybe they'll be able to spot us on TV when they kick a field goal," Clarke said.

Bellamy glanced over to see several kids dressed in their Gopher gear, crowded on a couch and begrudgingly smiling on Harper's phone as he set his meal on the ground so he could slip his shirt back on. He had been rocking it with the bare chested look, but he was cold now.

"Look at Harper's little brothers!" Clarke cooed, showing the phone to Bellamy.

He smiled at the screen. "Are those two twins?"

"Yes, Ian and Luke." Harper said, taking the phone back. "I miss them, even if they are a huge pain in the ass."

"Double trouble," Bellamy said, slipping the shirt over his head.

"What d'ya get?" Clarke asked as Bellamy refastened the strap of his overalls.

"Uh, some kind of beef and cheese sandwich, with waffle fries, and a Coke. I didn't know if you wanted diet or not-"

"No, whatever is fine!" Clarke said quickly. "My throat feels like sandpaper."

"Here you go, Princess," Bellamy handed her the cup and she readily took a long gulp.

"Thank you so much, Paris," She said after a long exhale. Bellamy grinned at the nickname she'd given him. She hadn't used it all day, and he'd be lying to himself if he said he wasn't waiting for it to leave her lips.

"Of course."

"Now, before you refuse." Clarke tucked a few folded bills into his pocket while he leaned over to pick his paper bag up from the floor.

"Clarke-"

"No! I'm going to get mad at you if you refuse my money! It's not right for you to pay for my stuff, I worked hard to make my own money," She said firmly, but it was still hard to take her seriously with her polka dotted face and twin braids.

Bellamy groaned, but left the money in his pocket. He really didn't want Clarke to get mad at him, but what she said sparked a question.

"Where did you work?"

"I had a couple of jobs in highschool," she shrugged. "We can talk about boring stuff another time, they're about to kick off!"

Bellamy scarfed down his sandwich, which was pretty good, and offered his fries to Clarke, but she didn't really like the seasoning. Bellamy ate half before sending them down the row where they were devoured by various people.

Clarke didn't seem to mind at all sharing the pop with Bellamy. After all, they'd already shared an ice cream cone, so what was a straw?

The rest of the game was exciting, as the Aggies didn't score a single point in the second half, but the Gopher's scored one touchdown in the 3rd quarter, then drove down the field all of the 4th for two hard earned scores, ending the game 48-10. Clarke didn't let Bellamy sit for very long. She was back on her feet and cheering, participating in all of the chants that circulated around the student section.

As the game ended, they took up singing the fight song again as people pressed to rush the field, but were corralled back. Bellamy watched as they showed on the jumbotron, a guy getting apprehended after he dropped from the stands. It was a solid 15 feet from the wall to the field.

"Oo, that looked like it hurt," Clarke cringed as the guy was pushed to the ground by a security officer.

"Sure doesn't look like it felt very good," Bellamy agreed.

"You know," Clarke started, a wistful look coming over her face. "The first time my Dad was arrested, he was a drunk college student and he jumped the fence at a Seattle Mariners game. He went to lockup overnight for that one."

"Oh, wow," Bellamy half chuckled. "I guess they're more strict at an actual MLB game."

"Yeah. He used to tell me about it, that he never regretted it."

"Why not?"

Clarke grinned slyly, retelling her father's tale. "Because he got to be on national television." Bellamy rolled his eyes.

"What people won't do for their minute in the spotlight."

"He was crazy back in the day. He'd tell me all his stories, then immediately tell me not to do any of the things he told me about."

"Sounds like a dad thing," Bellamy said, and Clarke looked up at him, her face faltering. "No, Clarke. Don't feel bad. I never had a dad so I don't know what I'm missing. No hard feelings."

"Mmm," she pursed her lips.

"Move it down there, Blake!" Murphy called from the far end of the row.

"Yeah, I'mma piss myself if I don't make it to the bathroom in the next two minutes." Jasper added. His legs were crossed and he swayed back and forth.

"After you," Bellamy waved Clarke out in front of him and she led the way up the stairs which were flooded with people on their way out.

After a pitstop at the overcrowded bathrooms, the crew escaped the stadium into the cool black night.

"Ah, college, how I love thee!" Octavia exclaimed, throwing her arms out wide and spinning in a circle on the sidewalk. Bellamy was happy to see her like that. It hadn't been easy to convince her to keep her grades up over the years, but hopefully now she could appreciate that it was all worth it.

"It'd be even better if we had some brews," Murphy muttered and spit into the gutter. Clarke turned her lip up at him and Bellamy turned his head so no one would see him smirk.

"Just you wait til you see what we've got," Jasper bragged.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Finally got the shower connection on the home distillery working," Monty said bashfully.

"Well what are we waiting for? Let's go have a party."

AN_

Thanks for reading!

-Birch55724