Hey babes! Back with a new fic for ya! This is a little Halloween fic that I came up with for a gift exchange over on discord. This was so fun to put together and I'm so happy to have it out in the world now.

Enjoy!

"You're not going to make me carve this pumpkin all by myself, are you?" Bellamy twists his face up as he stares at the mess in front of him. He's the one carving the damn thing and he can't even make out what the image on the front of the pumpkin is supposed to be. "Because you really shouldn't have left me in charge of this when I lack your artistic skill."

There's a small laugh from a few feet away. "Oh, you'll be fine."

He turns in his seat to face the blonde, though her back is to him as she stands by the oven. "Clarke, I'm terrible at carving pumpkins. You've known this since the pumpkin carving contest three years ago. Why do you insist on torturing me?"

She glances over her shoulder and winks. "Because it's fun." She turns around fully after a second, a wide smile on her face as she approaches where he sits at the table in the dining room. "I made pumpkin cookies. Want to try one?"

He raises a brow. "Don't you make those every year? Why do I need to try one?"

"I did something a little different this time. I want to know if they taste good before I keep going."

"Shouldn't I have tried it before you baked the cookies, then?" he questions.

Clarke rolls her eyes. "Just shut up and eat the cookie."

Bellamy chuckles, taking the warm cookie from Clarke and sinking his teeth into it. He smiles around the dessert. "Perfect. Just like always." He swallows the cookie and then turns back to the pumpkin in front of him as Clarke moves back toward the stove. "I don't know why you always get so worked up about all of this. Everyone loves the parties you throw. Especially the last couple of years because they've been here."

Clarke sighs heavily. "I know. But there's always a chance someone won't like it."

"If that's the case, then I'll kick their ass," he remarks offhandedly, his brows furrowing tightly as he tries yet again to make the image in the pumpkin clearer. "If they can't see how awesome the parties you throw are, then they're dumb."

"Pretty sure you didn't see how awesome my Halloween party was the year we met."

Bellamy frowns when he carves away too big of a piece. "That's because we got off on the wrong foot and I was determined not to like anything you did. Nate's the one who dragged me to that party. And I left after an hour because I was covered in pumpkin guts and you were too perky."

"Funny. You don't seem to mind my perkiness now."

Bellamy glances up when he feels something tickling his cheek. Clarke is standing right behind him, her face hovering next to his, a few small tendrils of her blonde hair touching his cheek. He smiles softly at her. "That's because your perkiness usually means very good things for me." He winks and then laughs at the look on her face.

She lightly smacks his shoulder as she moves back into the kitchen. "You're such a caveman."

"You didn't seem to think that two nights ago," he calls to her. "In fact, you were very enthused by it."

She's quiet for a moment, the only sound being various cooking implements being used. "Your pumpkin sucks, by the way."

Bellamy throws his carving tools down on the table and leans back in the chair. "Well then maybe you could help me so they actually turn out somewhat decent this time around."

"Just toss that one. It's a lost cause at this point."

Bellamy sighs heavily, grabbing the pumpkin off the table and carrying it toward the back door of the house. He steps outside and sets it down on the porch, figuring he'll worry about actually dealing with it later. Besides, maybe a poorly carved pumpkin will add to the Halloween vibe around this place.

Stepping back inside, he pushes the door closed and then looks at the remnants of pumpkin guts sitting on the newspaper-covered table. He frowns deeply at the mess, not wanting to actually take care of it at the moment. He figures it wouldn't hurt to leave it sitting out a little longer. It's not like they use the table for meals half the time, anyways.

"Anybody home?" a familiar voice calls through the house, the sound of the front door closing ringing out a second later.

"In here, Harper," Clarke calls out.

Bellamy lowers himself into the chair he'd just been occupying, leaning back and letting out a breath. He turns his head and smiles at one of the other members of their household as she enters the room, carrying multiple reusable grocery bags on her arms. "Hey, Harper."

Harper smiles brightly. "Hey, Bellamy." She pauses in the doorway and her eyes drift over the mess on the table. "Whoa. What happened in here?"

"Bellamy was trying to carve a pumpkin."

Harper laughs a little. "Aww, that's adorable. Where's the one you tried?"

Bellamy sighs. "On the back porch."

Harper shuffles past the table and stops by the glass door, peering outside. She laughs a little louder. "It's called pumpkin carving, Bellamy, not brutal pumpkin murder." She turns to him with a smile. "Try to show some decorum and seasonal goodwill next time."

"Thanks, Harper, I'll try that," he says, completely deadpan. "Even though I have zero artistic ability and Clarke refused to help me."

Clarke laughs, turning to look at him with the spatula held in her hand. "Hey, I've been baking cookies and going over the rest of the plans for the party this weekend."

Harper's entire body perks. "Ooh. Your pumpkin cookies?"

"Yes. And I tried something a little different this time around."

"They still taste as good as usual, though," Bellamy pipes in with a smile in his girlfriend's direction. He laughs quietly to himself when Clarke rolls her eyes at him, turning back toward her cookies. "What's with all the bags?" he asks curiously, a slight furrow to his brows.

Harper grins. "I went to the store and bought all new Halloween decorations."

Clarke laughs quietly. "Seriously, Harper? What's wrong with what we've already put up?"

Bellamy clears his throat. "Um, I think you mean what I put up, Clarke. With assistance from Nate and Murphy. But she's right," he says to Harper. "What's wrong with the decorations we already have?"

Harper shakes her head. "Nothing's wrong with them. And I didn't buy all this stuff to replace what we already have, I bought it to enhance everything that we already have."

"Well I'm not putting them up," Bellamy tells her. "I already did my round of decorating, so get your boyfriend to do it."

Harper nods. "Right. That is something that I could ask of him. But we both know you're so much better at hanging decorations. Seriously, I mean it. You remember what happened our sophomore year before you took over the decorating of mine and Clarke's dorm room."

Bellamy winces at the memory of seeing Monty and Jasper in the urgent care after they fell on each other and fractured several bones. That had been an…interesting trip and he'd immediately taken over all hanging of decorations. And he's done that for every holiday since then where there's a need for decorations. Which has thankfully resulted in no serious injuries.

"That look on your face is exactly why you're in charge of putting up decorations," Harper says to him. She sets the bags down on the table and then smiles brightly as she turns to join Clarke in the kitchen. "Have fun."

Bellamy lets out a breath as he leans back in his chair and eyes the bags sitting in front of him. Figuring he should probably get to it before either woman starts griping at him, Bellamy stands from his chair and takes both bags with him as he walks toward the front of the house.

The front door opens just as he's entering the living room, Murphy shuffling through with his usual look of annoyance on his face and his backpack hanging off one shoulder.

"Go put your stuff away and meet me outside," Bellamy says to him as he sets the bags down long enough to pull on his coat and shoes.

Murphy turns to him with furrowed brows. "I was just outside. Why the hell would I go back out there when I can go to my room that's warm?"

"Because you're gonna help me hang some more decorations."

Murphy's jaw drops. "More? Don't we have enough?"

"Not according to Harper."

Murphy's gaze narrows. "Where is she?"

Bellamy rolls his eyes. "Stop. Just go put your stuff away and then come outside. I promise I won't make you stay outside longer than necessary."

"Whatever," Murphy grumbles, turning toward the small hall nearby to go to his room.

Bellamy sighs and turns toward the front door, picking the bags back up and carrying them with him out into the chilly autumn air. He sets the bags on the porch and then pulls the collar of his coat a little closer to his neck to protect himself from the cold wind that's blowing past.

Taking the few steps down the porch, Bellamy walks a few paces out and then stops and turns to look over the decorations already adorning the outside of the house. It's certainly no question that someone who lives in the house really enjoys Halloween. He enjoys the holiday too, though not nearly as much as his girlfriend does. Hence the decorations that are covering the yard and front of the house, a house that was bought for Clarke at the beginning of the previous school year by her mother's guilt from not being emotionally present during her more formative years.

Orange string lights are hanging from the front edge of the roof, a plastic skeleton head wreath attached to the front door. There are various wooden signs and plastic characters staked in the front yard, as well as fake cobweb woven through the trees nearby and the porch banister. Several carved pumpkins are settled on the porch, and black lanterns with shapes cut out line both edges of the sidewalk up to the porch steps.

The sound of the front door slamming shut pulls his attention away from the decorations and he looks to see Murphy stepping through, looking less than enthused about being out in the cold. He can't say he blames him, though. If he had things his way, he definitely wouldn't be back outside in the cold.

"Can you go to the back and get the ladder?" Bellamy asks Murphy as he moves back up the sidewalk.

"Why can't you get it?"

"Because I'm gonna go through these decorations and figure out where to put it all. Unless you want to do that," he says, raising a brow and gesturing at the bags.

Murphy glares at him, then at the bags, then back at him. "Fine." He marches down off the steps and disappears around the side of the house.

Bellamy just chuckles to himself as he crouches down to get a better look at what's inside the bags. It's more things to hang on the house, some more bags of fake cobwebs, and a few more plastic characters to stick in the lawn. They aren't pulling any punches with this, something that he learned very early on in his tentative friendship with Clarke. She takes Halloween very seriously since it's something she used to do with her dad when she was younger before he passed away while she was in high school. After he learned that little tidbit once they officially became friends, he had no problem indulging her once a year. And to be fair, this is only the third Halloween that he's been around for the prep beforehand, and the first where he's dating her during it all.

"Whoa. What's all this?"

Bellamy sighs as he turns slightly to face Nate. "Halloween decorations."

Nate's eyes go wide. "More?"

Bellamy nods. "Yep. Blame Harper."

"Blame Clarke too," Murphy calls out as he approaches, dragging their ladder behind him. "I know she didn't physically buy the decorations, but she never discourages Harper from doing stuff like this either so it's definitely on her too."

"Yeah, he's not wrong," Nate replies, adjusting the maroon beanie on his head.

Bellamy rolls his eyes. "Will you two stop attacking my girlfriend and help me get these decorations up, already? Nate, spot me on the ladder while I hang these up, please."

"Why do I have to do it?"

"Because I don't trust Murphy to not try and tip it while I'm standing on it."

Murphy chuckles. "Smart move. Since I don't have to spot you, can I go back inside now?"

Bellamy shakes his head. "No. You can put more of those plastic characters in the ground. Try to space them out a little from the others."

Murphy grumbles under his breath but moves toward the grocery bags to grab two of the characters and then moves across the front lawn.

Turning toward his best friend, Bellamy gestures with his head toward the ladder. "Give me a hand setting this out."

They get the ladder set up and then the three of them spend the next half hour setting out the extra decorations. It grows colder by the second which just results in Murphy complaining more and more. Murphy's complaining is pretty much just background noise at this point in their friendship, though, so it doesn't bother him too much while he's working. He just tunes it out and focuses on his task.

Sometime later, once he's done hanging all the decorations that require a ladder, Bellamy takes a step back, lets out a breath, and admires the finished product. It's a lot, he won't deny that, but they always have one of the best-decorated houses on the block, so he's not complaining. If the block had a contest for Halloween decorating like they do for Christmas decorating, they'd probably win.

"Oh wow. This looks awesome. You guys did great."

Bellamy smiles at his girlfriend as she approaches with two steaming mugs in her hands. "Thanks. Murphy complained most of the time, though, so I don't think he deserves any of the praise."

"Screw you, Bellamy."

Bellamy chuckles, shaking his head at Murphy's remark. "Is one of those for me?" he asks casually, gesturing to the drinks.

Clarke smiles, holding one out toward him. "Indeed it is. One pumpkin spice cider. Care to test it out before the party?"

Bellamy grins as he takes the warm drink, cradling it in between his hands, and then lifts it to his lips to take a slow, tentative sip.

"Oh, seriously?" Murphy groans as he approaches after having put the ladder back. "Please, enough with the pumpkin spice. You two have gone crazy with that stuff every fall since we were eleven."

Harper raises a brow. "So I take it that means you don't want yours?" she asks, handing one of the three mugs to Nate.

Murphy's quiet for a moment, then grumbles under his breath as he moves forward across the lawn. He snatches one of the mugs from Harper and then sits down on the bottom step of the porch.

Harper laughs, shaking her head. "Every year."

"Without fail," Clarke chimes in with a smile, clinking her mug against Harper's.

Bellamy smiles at the interaction, knowing that anyone on the outside wouldn't understand the surprisingly strong friendship that Clarke and Harper have with Murphy. He didn't either, when he met the three of them his sophomore year when they were freshmen. And then he'd been let in on the details and suddenly it all made sense.

Sometimes he still wishes he could have seen the moment when, at seven years old, Clarke had decked John Murphy because he made fun of her. Apparently, that one moment sealed their entire friendship, and then they both took Harper under their wing at nine years old when she'd been dealing with some tough stuff at home and didn't have anyone she could turn to. And the three have been inseparable ever since. Even going so far as to apply to all of the same colleges, begrudgingly on Murphy's part. And he's beyond grateful that they did. He wouldn't have met Clarke otherwise.

"Hey, what are you thinking about over there?"

Pulling himself out of his thoughts, Bellamy smiles down at Clarke, reaching out to wrap an arm around her waist and pull her close. "Not much. Are you ready for the party this weekend?"

Clarke's smile falters a bit. "I think so. I'm taking some of the cookies I made to work tomorrow to test them out, and to a couple of my classes too. Fingers crossed everyone likes them."

"They will," he assures her. "You're a fantastic baker. Everybody knows that. And everybody also knows how insanely good you are at throwing parties, especially at Halloween. So relax, okay? Everything is going to be fine."

Clarke lets out a breath as she leans into his side. "I really hope so."

Making her way through the main level of the house with a smile on her face, Clarke can't help the wave of relief that washes over her whenever she sees someone having a good time. That's all she wants from this, for everyone who shows up to have a good time. The only stipulation is that no one who's drunk is allowed to answer the door, in case they open it to trick-or-treaters. They learned that lesson the hard way with Jasper last year.

Cheers of excitement coming from behind her has Clarke turning around to see the large metal tub set up on the dining room table for apple bobbing. Monty and Jasper are going head-to-head, trying to see who's going to be the first one to grab an apple. No doubt there's ice in the water to make it colder, something that Murphy had done three years ago because he thought it'd be funny to see them dunk their whole heads in ice water. But now the two keep doing it for whatever reason they haven't bothered to explain to her.

She lets out a laugh when she sees Jasper whip his head out of the water, an apple clutched tightly between his teeth, and his arms raised in victory. Monty pulls out of the water a second later with an apple between his teeth as well. But then he drops it into his palm when he sees that Jasper already has one. Those two have always been inseparable, and a bit of a riot, since she met them in her freshman biology class.

A knock at the front door pulls her attention and she spins on her heel to walk toward it. She sees another girl, Zoe Monroe, moving toward it at the same time and quickly waves her off with a smile. "I've got this one." She stops in front of the door, plasters a smile on her face, and then pulls.

"Trick or treat!"

Clarke's smile automatically grows when she sees the small group of elementary-aged kids standing on the front porch dressed up in various costumes. "Wow. You all look amazing." She leans to the side to grab the large bowl of candy and then drops a handful into each bag, pillowcase, or plastic bucket that gets held in front of her. "Happy Halloween."

A pair of arms snake around her waist as she watches the kids walk down the sidewalk, and she instinctively leans back, letting out a small breath of content.

"I think Raven's fighting with Murphy over the music again."

Clarke sighs, glancing to the side to see exactly what Bellamy has pointed out. Raven is indeed engaging in a somewhat heated argument with Murphy near where the speakers are set up in the living room. "Why are they like this?" she questions, thinking about how they still can't seem to have a civil conversation after knowing each other for two years.

Bellamy's chest rumbles against her back as he laughs. "Because they're both stubborn as hell and like making trouble."

Clarke tilts her head as she watches the scene. She clocks the exact moment that Murphy's eyes dart to somewhere past Raven before quickly focusing back on the brunette. "While you're not wrong, I think there's more behind Murphy's acting out."

"That's him acting out?"

Clarke nods. "Mm-hmm. You haven't known him as long as I have, so trust me when I say that it's more than just the music choices that's making him act like this. He's been extra grumpy all week, and I think I might have a sneaking suspicion as to why."

"Care to enlighten the rest of us?"

Clarke turns in his arms and smiles as she shakes her head. "Nope. Believe me when I tell you that it's better if only I get involved in Murphy's business. He'll act annoyed, but it'll be fine." She lets her eyes drift over the scene in the living room, finding the exact reason for Murphy's unusual behavior.

She can count on one hand the number of times Murphy has ever shown romantic interest in anyone over the years. Unfortunately, none of those instances have ever turned out well for him. But maybe this one will, if he can learn to actually voice his emotions instead of lashing out.

Rising just a little on her toes, Clarke kisses Bellamy quickly before slipping out of his arms to make her way across the house. She makes a beeline for her target, a girl who graduated college last year and then moved to town a few months ago. "Hi there," she says, approaching the brunette where she stands in the open doorway between the living room and dining room, a plastic cup of cider in her hands. "It's Emori, right?"

The girl nods with a small smile. "Yeah. This is a pretty cool party, isn't it?"

Clarke beams. "I'm so glad you think so. I can't take all the credit, though. I had plenty of help."

Emori's eyes go wide. "Oh. You must be Clarke, then. I think I remember someone saying you were the hostess."

"Guilty as charged. Did someone invite you? Or did you just hear about it around town?"

"Someone in town told me. They didn't exactly invite me, but then someone else said that no invitation is required."

Clarke shakes her head. "Nope. No invitation required."

"Well, that's definitely nice to know that I didn't crash."

Clarke laughs quietly. "Yeah, I guess." She takes a deep breath. "Well, I just wanted to come over and introduce myself, make sure you're having a good time."

Emori smiles. "I am, thanks."

"Good. I remembered hearing about you from Murphy so I thought it was only right that I come say hello."

Emori's brows furrow slightly. "Murphy…? Oh, you mean John. Yeah, we've met a couple of times in town. He's uh…he's an interesting character."

Clarke internally shakes off the slight shock of hearing Emori call Murphy by his first name. "I've known Murphy the longest out of anyone here so trust me when I say that once you get through his prickly exterior, he's actually a decent guy who can't say no to a cup of pumpkin spice cider."

Emori glances quickly off to the side before looking back at Clarke and giving her a small smile. "Uh, right. I'll remember that. Thanks."

Clarke smiles back. "Anytime. I should probably go check that everyone else is having a good time, but I'm glad you came to the party." She gives a small wave and then makes her way through the house toward where she spots Harper on the makeshift dance floor in the living room with Monty. "Harper, please tell me you've noticed Murphy's behavior this week."

Harper immediately spins toward her. "You know what? He did seem extra irritable yesterday."

Clarke grins. "He's got a crush."

Harper matches her grin. "I knew it!"

"Wait, how do you two know he has a crush?" Monty pipes up. "He's Murphy. He always acts like that."

Harper shakes her head, looking over her shoulder at her boyfriend. "To the untrained eye, yes. But to me and Clarke, his two closest friends, we can see the difference. It's definitely a crush. So who's the lucky lady?" Harper asks her excitedly.

"Her name's Emori, she works at one of the daycare centers in town. And get this, she calls him John."

Harper's eyes go wide. "No way. Didn't he try to maim you in your sleep once for calling him John?"

Clarke laughs at the memory from not long after they became friends and he'd been staying over one night. "He certainly tried to."

Monty leans a little closer. "I don't see what the big deal is."

"Murphy doesn't let anyone call him John. Not entirely sure why, but he always got super pissed whenever even a teacher would call him by his first name. He's super weird about it."

"Oh! Here he comes!" Harper explains, bouncing a little on her heels.

Clarke spins around to find Murphy making his way toward them, Emori trailing right behind him, both of them carrying a cup of cider. She has to fight back the grin at seeing them together, even though she's feeling extra proud of herself right now. "Hey."

"Hi," he says with his usual deadpan expression. "I know I'm under no obligation to let either of you know where I am, but you'll bug me about it later if I don't, so I'm telling you. Emori and I are gonna head out, see if we can catch a movie and maybe a bite to eat."

Clarke nods. "Okay. Have fun. Let me know if you're gonna be home late or not at all," she says with a small wink.

Murphy narrows his gaze at her, though his look softens just a tad when he looks at Emori. "If you want to go wait by the door I'll be there in a minute."

"Okay. It was nice meeting you, Clarke. Enjoy the rest of your night."

"Thanks, Emori. You too." Clarke watches her walk away, and once she's out of earshot, she focuses her attention on Murphy. She goes to open her mouth when he holds up a hand to stop her.

He sighs heavily, dropping his hand. "Look, you both know that I hate emotions and getting sappy and all that crap. But I've liked Emori for a while but didn't know how to approach her. That's what Raven and I were arguing about earlier. Yes, I know you saw us, Clarke. Somehow she found out how I feel and was trying to convince me to make a move because I've been too much of a chicken to do anything."

Harper steps forward, draping an arm over Clarke's shoulder and leaning their heads together. "Luckily you have an amazing best friend who knows the exact amount of meddling to do to get things rolling."

Clarke smiles, squeezing Harper in a quick side hug. "She's not wrong."

"No. Unfortunately, she is not. Thanks, I guess, for that."

Clarke's smile widens. "You're welcome. You two are cute together."

Murphy's eyes narrow. "Shut up." He turns immediately and moves across the floor to the front entryway of the house, joining up with Emori. The smile is almost instantaneous on his face, and it's certainly a sight she could get used to seeing from him.

Once they're out of her view, Clarke turns back to Emori and Monty, letting out a breath and smiling. "Looks like my work is finally done. I may have just gotten Murphy a girlfriend, and that's been one of my main goals since he first developed a crush on that exchange student who lived with the Donaldson's when we were ten."

"Oh my goodness, I remember her!" Harper exclaims. "Wasn't she six years older than us?"

Clarke shrugs. "Didn't stop Murphy from falling for her." She takes a deep breath. "Okay, I'm gonna leave you two to keep dancing until Jasper eventually drags Monty away for something else dangerous or reckless."

As if on cue, Jasper appears seemingly out of nowhere with a wild look in his eyes and a grin on his face as he skids to a stop in front of his best friend. "Monty! Pumpkin smashing! Regular hammers or sledgehammers?"

Monty scoffs lightly. "Sledgehammers, obviously." He gives Harper a quick kiss on the cheek before disappearing into another part of the house with Monty.

Clarke shares a laugh with Harper. "Please make sure they don't break my house."

"Don't worry, I know the drill."

Clarke gives Harper another smile and affectionate squeeze of the arm as she turns and makes her way through the house. She greets some of the party goers as she walks, checking in on how much they're enjoying the party. Thankfully, everyone seems to be having a good time. Which is exactly what she wanted.

Her phone goes off in the pocket she made sure to sew into her costume dress and she pulls it out to see a new text from Wells. She opens it and smiles at the photo attached showing her friend's smiling face.

Hope you're having a Happy Halloween, Clarke. I'm doing alright here in Australia, can't wait to see you in the New Year.

Thanks, Wells. I miss you and can't wait to see you too. Glad you're still having fun on your world travels.

Closing out of the text, she slides her phone back into her pocket as she keeps moving through the house. She really does miss Wells, the two of them having been friends since they were babies, although they did lose touch when he and his dad moved at the end of elementary school. Thankfully, they found each other again not long after high school and it was like very little had changed between them. Something she is extremely grateful for.

As she gets closer to the front of the house, she notices Bellamy watching the crowd with the tiniest hint of a frown on his face. She knows that he's thinking about his younger sister Octavia, no doubt worried about what she's up to right now. They've been estranged since right before he left for college, and she knows how hard it is for him at times like this to not know what his sister is doing.

Stopping in front of him, she wraps her arms loosely around his torso and tilts her head back, resting her chin against his chest in the hopes to distract him from his thoughts. "Hey. Are you having fun?" she asks.

He looks down at her and smiles that special smile she knows is only for her, draping his arms over her shoulders. "I always do. And so does everyone else."

She lets out a breath. "Yeah, I know. But I can't help it that I'm a bit of a perfectionist."

Bellamy leans down to give her a quick kiss. "And that's one of the many reasons why I love you."

Clarke gasps quietly, her arms tightening just a tad around him as his words sink into her mind and her heart. "You…you love me."

Bellamy blinks, almost as if his words are registering in his mind. They haven't said those words to each other yet. "Yeah, I do love you, Clarke."

A smile tugs at the corners of her lips. "I love you too, Bellamy."

Before either of them can say anything else, there's a knock at the front door, pulling them out of their little moment. They both smile brightly at each other, share a quick kiss, and then make their way hand in hand to the door.

Clarke reaches for the candy bowl as Bellamy reaches for the doorknob, her only thought being how great her life is right now with Bellamy. He truly is the best thing to happen to her. She tosses him one more quick, loving smile as she turns toward the open doorway.

"Trick or treat!"

So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Until next time,
Jellybean96 out!