Hey babes! Back again with another Bellarke holiday story for you all! This one is a Secret Santa gift for a friend of mine, and I'm so excited to be able to share it now. I was inspired by one of the prompts that was asked for: "Estranged from my family and need a place to go for Christmas" AU and I had so much fun coming up with this. It turned out way longer than I originally intended. But I don't think anyone will mind too much. :)
Enjoy!
Tugging on her scarf to get it sitting tighter against her neck, Clarke continues to make her way across campus back toward her dorm hall as quickly as she can to get out of the cold. She didn't realize her most recent class was canceled until she got there; unfortunately, her student e-mail wasn't working and no one from her class thought to check in and see if she'd seen it. She'll do that exact same thing for them on occasion so she doesn't understand why they couldn't do it for her this one time.
Just another thing to add to her long list of why the current day sucks.
She just wishes she could turn the clock and make it go faster to bypass the next few weeks and jump straight into the new year. Hopefully, things will be better and not so sucky.
She zones out a little while she's walking, but she knows the walk back to her dorm fairly easily, so it's not the biggest deal in the world. And even though there's hardly anyone out and about right now, of course, she'd run into the one person who actually is out. Naturally. Headfirst, slamming right into their chest, she stumbles on her feet. She almost falls backward but a pair of hands on her arms prevents that.
Looking up once she's steady on her feet, her heart jumps a little in her chest when she sees the boy standing in front of her. She's only hung out with him a handful of times since they met a few months back through a mutual friend, but she doesn't know a whole ton about him.
She lets out a breath and brushes some of her hair back out of her face. "Bellamy, hi."
He gives her half a smile. "Hey, Clarke. Are you okay? You seemed a little out of it, considering you ran right into me."
She nods. "I'm fine. Just a little distracted and irritated, that's all."
He frowns. "How come?"
She sighs heavily. "Just a laundry list of little things happening that add up to one not-so-great day. And it's almost the holidays, too, which doesn't help things."
He tilts his head just a little. "You don't like the holidays?"
"I did," she tells him honestly. "I used to love them a lot when I was younger. My dad and I used to go all out for Christmas."
He nods, his lips pulling in tight. "Ah, right. Sorry. I forgot that he...yeah."
She shrugs. "It's okay. I wasn't expecting you to remember. I still relatively like the holidays, it's just been a little harder for me to get into the festivities for the last few years."
"No, I totally get it. I'm sorry you're dealing with that."
"Thanks. It just sucks, you know? And to make matters worse, I'm completely out of luck for where to go because they want us out of the dorms over the break but my mom and I aren't currently speaking to each other so I have no idea what I'm going to do." She can feel the tears of frustration building but she forces them back.
"You don't have any friends you can stay with?" Bellamy asks her. "Don't you have a friend you've known since you were a kid? I forgot his name."
She smiles at the thought of her best and oldest friend. "His name is Wells. And yeah, I have him. But he and his dad are traveling over the holidays to try and reconnect or whatever. I don't want to ask to impose on that. And it just doesn't feel right to ask anyone else if I can intrude on their family traditions. It's fine, though," she says as nonchalantly as possible. "I'll figure something out."
"Unless…" Bellamy trails off, shifting on his feet and adjusting his grip on the strap of his backpack. "You can...if you want to you can come hang out with me and my family over the break."
Her eyes go wide at the suggestion. "What?"
His own eyes go wide for a split second. "Sorry. I just...my mom would probably ground me even though I'm a grown man if she knew I let a friend go off on her own trying to find a place to stay for the holidays. You don't have to if you don't want to, but at least we can say that I offered."
She shifts on her feet, her brows furrowing tightly together. "You're really offering me to stay at your place for the holidays?"
He shrugs, adjusting the beanie that's sitting on top of his dark curls. "Yeah. I mean, it's not much, it'll just be me, my mom, and my sister, but at least it's a warm house with nice people."
She stands there for a moment contemplating. She's only known Bellamy for a few months, but it would be nice to spend Christmas with people who actually want her around. To be in what she assumes is a loving, welcome environment.
She takes a deep breath and squares her shoulders. "Okay. I think I'll take you up on your offer."
He smiles. "Glad to hear it. Which dorm are you in?"
"Franco Hall," she says, gesturing up the pathway in the direction of her dorm.
"Great. I'm leaving tomorrow morning since it's a bit of a drive, do you think you can be ready to go by ten?"
She nods, quickly running through her unfinished tasks in her head. "Yeah, I think I can do that. I just had my last class, well, it was canceled, but still. I have plenty of time to pack today. Um, maybe we should exchange numbers so you can let me know when you're outside?"
"Right. That's a good idea."
They quickly pull their phones out and exchange phone numbers. Clarke debates asking for a contact photo before deciding against it for the time being. If they stay friends after this, then she can think about asking for one later.
They talk for another couple of minutes about the plans for the trip, and then they're on their separate ways. Knowing how long the trip is going to be, Clarke makes a mental note to stop somewhere and get some snacks for the trip. Hopefully, Bellamy will like what she picks out. She could always text him and find out what he likes, but she can't quite bring herself to do that. Not yet. She'll just have to buy what she wants and hope he'll eat it or that he brings snacks of his own.
Entering her dorm building, Clarke makes her way up the stairs to her room, thankful that her roommate has already left to go home for the holiday. She's a nice enough girl, but they rarely talk, seeing as they just got placed together randomly because neither of them had someone in the same hall that they wanted to room with.
Unlocking the door to her room, Clarke steps inside and tosses her backpack onto her bed. She pushes the door closed with her foot and shrugs out of her jacket, hanging it up on the command hook she has stuck on the wall.
Letting out a heavy breath, she drops down onto her bed, her phone beeping in the side pocket of her backpack. She pulls it out to see a new text from Wells with a photo attached; a selfie with the horizon in the background and a less than excited expression on his face.
She laughs quietly to herself as she types back a response. I take it reconnecting with your dad isn't going well?
Seconds later her phone goes off with a new text. That's the understatement of the century. You know I love dad, but it's weird spending so much time one on one with him.
At least you're spending time with him.
Things still rough with your mom?
When aren't they rough? We're still not speaking to each other so I'm not going home for Christmas.
So what are you doing, then? You're not allowed to stay in the dorms over the break.
She bites her lip between her teeth, debating whether or not to tell Wells about her impromptu travel plans. Ultimately she decides to do so, knowing he's going to find out sooner or later.
I actually made plans. With this guy from school.
Expecting a new text from Wells, she's only slightly shocked when he calls her instead, her screen lighting up with an older photo of the two of them from a few years prior. Answering the call, she holds the phone to her ear. "Yes?"
"I think I may have read that text wrong. Please tell me I read it wrong."
She laughs quietly, shaking her head. "No, Wells, you didn't read it wrong. You remember that guy I told you about, the one I met at the beginning of the year through Steve?"
"Maybe. He's a couple of years older, right?"
"Yeah. Well, I ran into him a little bit ago, literally, and when he realized I didn't have a place to stay, he offered to let me come home with him for the holidays."
Wells sighs heavily on the other end. "Clarke…"
"What? He's a decent guy, Wells. I've hung out with him a few times the last couple of months and he's not that bad. Plus, Steve wouldn't be friends with just anybody unless they were a good person. And it'll be his mom and his sister too, so it's not like I'm going to be alone with him the entire holiday."
"Still, I'm not all that comfortable with this."
"Then it's a good thing it's not your decision to make. I'm a big girl, Wells, I can take care of myself."
He sighs again. "I know that. But I'm your best and oldest friend, it's my job to voice my concerns about the things you do when you do them."
"And I do appreciate it most of the time. But I promise you that everything is going to be okay. I'll even text you updates periodically so you know he didn't just lure me to a remote cabin to murder me."
"See, you can't say stuff like that to me right before you're going to leave with a guy you barely know."
She rolls her eyes. "We're not even leaving until tomorrow, so relax."
"That doesn't help."
Clarke lets out a laugh. "I'm sorry. Can I go now so I can start packing? Or do you have more worries and concerns about my life you want to tell me?"
"It's nothing that can't wait until the new year."
"Ah. Well then, I'm going to hang up now. Tell your dad I said hi."
"Will do. Bye, Clarke."
"Bye, Wells."
Pulling the phone away from her ear, Clarke ends the call and then opens up her Spotify. She goes to her Christmas music playlist and hits shuffle, turning the volume up and then tossing her phone behind her onto the mattress.
She stands from her bed and lets the music fill the space as she drags one of her suitcases out from underneath her bed. Because it's time to start packing. And not second guess her decision to go home with a guy she barely knows for the holiday.
Leaning against the side of his car, Bellamy waits patiently for Clarke to come down from her dorm room. He'd texted her when he was on his way and then when he'd arrived, so hopefully, she won't be too much longer. He'd like to get on the road as soon as possible to beat any traffic that they might hit on their way out of town. It's also about a five-hour drive, so he's hoping she's at least decent company on a car trip.
The sound of the door opening draws his attention and he pushes off the car to take Clarke's suitcase from her and lug it over to the trunk.
"Thanks," Clarke says, shifting her backpack on her back.
"No problem," he says back, setting her suitcase next to his and closing the trunk. He offers her a polite smile. "My mom raised me to be a gentleman. I would have opened the door for you too if I hadn't been zoning out."
She smiles. "It's okay. No harm done. But if you're such a gentleman, does that mean you're going to open the car door for me?"
He chuckles lightly and nods. "It does indeed." He rounds the car to pull open the passenger side door, allowing Clarke to get in. His brows furrow slightly as he recounts their interaction from just a few seconds ago. Was she...was she flirting with him? No. She couldn't be. They hardly know each other. But then, he's definitely flirted with his fair share of actual strangers, so it's not that far of a stretch.
Shaking the thought off, he closes her door once Clarke's settled inside, and then rounds the front of the car to the driver's side. He climbs in and buckles himself into the seat, sliding the key into the ignition.
He turns a little in his seat to look at Clarke. "Are you ready to go? Not forgetting anything upstairs?"
She shakes her head and smiles. "Nope. I'm good."
He nods. "Alright. Let's go, then." He pulls his phone out to shoot a quick text to his mom, letting her know that he's leaving, and then pulls up the directions on the GPS. He slides his phone into the holder that's clipped onto the air vent, and then slowly backs out of the driveway and down onto the main road.
For the most part, the drive is fairly relaxing. As soon as they're on the freeway Clarke puts headphones in and pulls out a spiral notebook and a pencil. His best guess is that it's for sketching, but he's not entirely sure. And it's not like he can sit there watching her the whole time. He has to drive.
So he flips on the radio but keeps the volume low enough that he can still hear his GPS, and so he doesn't disturb whatever Clarke's listening to, and focuses on the road ahead of him.
About halfway through the trip, they stop to use the bathroom and stretch a little before finding a place to get some lunch since they're both feeling the effects of hunger. They manage to find a Subway and he pays for both meals even though Clarke protests at first. They talk a little as they eat, keeping their voices low enough to not disturb the other patrons. He learns a little more about her and is starting to see why Steve is friends with her.
Once they're back on the road after lunch, Clarke's no longer listening to her own music, instead choosing to hum along to what's on the radio as she sketches—he saw the sketches when she was putting it away when they stopped. They continue to chat a little, mostly Clarke asking him questions about his family and what to expect. He does his best to explain his family to her, without making them sound too crazy or anything. Because they aren't. They're just a little enthusiastic about the holidays. She listens attentively to him, taking in everything he says, and then the conversation peters out.
She goes back to her sketching and he focuses back on the road and the music coming through the speakers. He doesn't mind, though, knowing that he always gets a little turned around if he's not careful on the final stretch home after coming off the freeway. Once he's actually in town, though, he knows the roads like the back of his hand.
When they get to the edge of the town, he turns off his GPS and easily navigates his way through the familiar streets that he grew up on. "We're almost there," he tells Clarke as he's passing by the town library. "Probably about two minutes or so."
"Okay, thanks." She doesn't look up from her sketchbook, obviously too engrossed in whatever she's drawing.
Driving down the last few streets and making a couple more turns, he finally pulls up in front of his childhood home. He smiles at the sight of it, multi-colored lights already lining the front porch and a few larger decorations stuck on the lawn.
"Cute house."
He glances over at Clarke as he shuts the car off. "Thanks. I can't take any of the credit, though, since mom bought this place before I was born. However, I will take credit for how amazing the lawn looks whenever I'm home in the summer."
If his eyes aren't playing tricks on him, he's almost positive that he sees Clarke start to blush. But she ducks her head too fast for him to really be sure. He can't help the small surge of pride at the possibility that he made her blush, even if he doesn't know why.
"Alright, grab your bags and let's go," he tells her, gesturing toward the trunk and pushing his door open. He walks around to the back of the car and lifts the trunk open, allowing Clarke to grab her suitcase. He grabs his own and then closes the lid.
He grabs his backpack out of the backseat and then makes sure the car is locked as he makes his way up the front sidewalk.
As soon as he's on the porch he unlocks the front door and pushes it open. He smiles at Clarke as the door slowly swings open. "Home sweet home." He allows her to step inside and then follows behind her, pushing the door closed until it clicks.
"Mom?" he calls through the house, setting his suitcase down right inside and gesturing for Clarke to do the same. He shrugs out of his coat and hangs it in the hall closet, silently taking Clarke's coat from her and hanging it next to his.
Seconds later, his mom appears in the hallway, a smile on her face, an apron around her waist, and her long, dark brown hair pulled up into a messy bun. "Bellamy. Oh, I'm so happy you're home." She immediately pulls him into a hug and kisses the top of his head, even though she has to stretch a bit to do so.
"I'm happy to be home too," he replies, hugging her just as tightly. "Where's O?"
"She's out with a few friends, but she should be home in time for dinner." She pulls out of the hug and unsurprisingly clocks in on Clarke still standing in the hallway. "Why don't you introduce me to your friend?"
"Right." He takes a small step back toward the blonde. "Uh, mom, this is Clarke, we go to school together, she's a couple of years behind me. Clarke, this is my mom Aurora."
"Hi," Clarke says with a small smile. "It's nice to meet you. Thanks for letting me stay over on such short notice."
Aurora waves her off. "Oh, it's not a problem, sweetheart. Any friend of Bellamy's is more than welcome here. His best friend Nathan has crashed here just out of the blue on more than one occasion while they were growing up." She claps her hands together once. "Now then, I'm sure after that long drive you want to freshen up and maybe relax a little before dinner." She looks at him. "Sweetheart, can you show Clarke to the guest room? You know where all the pillows and blankets are if she wants more."
Bellamy nods, kisses his mom on the cheek, then grabs his suitcase and heads for the stairs, gesturing with his head for Clarke to follow him. He takes the stairs two at a time, turning right when he reaches the top landing.
Stopping next to the guest room, he pushes the door open and smiles gently at Clarke. "Here you go. My sister's room is right across from yours, and she tends to listen to her music pretty loud, so fair warning. I'm down the opposite way if you need anything," he tells her, watching as she steps into the room and takes it in. "The bathroom is right at the top of the stairs, and I apologize in advance if it's messy beyond belief. Octavia's not the tidiest person in the world."
Clarke laughs quietly. "It's fine. And uh, thanks, again, for this."
He smiles. "No problem. I'll let you settle in and relax." Without another word he turns and makes his way down the opposite hall toward his own bedroom. He wasn't able to come home for Thanksgiving so it's been longer than he would have liked since he's been home.
But as always, his room hasn't been touched. It's just the same as he left it the last time he was home.
Setting his suitcase on the carpet next to his dresser, he falls onto his bed and lets out a heavy breath. It really is good to be home, even if it's only for a couple of weeks before he has to go back to school.
"It's good to have you home."
Bellamy looks up to the doorway and smiles at his mom. "It's good to be home. Nothing beats sleeping in your childhood bedroom and having a nice home-cooked meal."
His mom smiles, stepping into his room and leaning back against the wall. "So, Clarke's pretty cute. Is there something going on between you two? Is that why you brought her home?"
Bellamy sighs and shakes his head, surprised that she lasted as long as she did without asking that. "No. It's not like that. I guess she's not talking to her mom right now and doesn't have anywhere else to go since she has to be off-campus for the holidays. So I offered her the guest room. I really hope you don't mind."
"Of course I don't mind, baby. You've always had a big heart, offering help to people who needed it whenver you could."
He shrugs. "I've got everything I need. Some people aren't so lucky."
His mom smiles, stepping over to him to kiss the top of his hair. She ruffles it a bit with a quiet laugh and then makes her way out of the room again.
Once the door is closed, Bellamy lies back on his bed and lets out another breath as he stares up at the ceiling. Realizing how exhausted he is after being in the car for five hours, he lets his eyes slowly flutter closed and pulls his legs up onto the bed so he'll be much more comfortable. Nothing worse than a sore back from sleeping wrong.
Dinner with the Blake's that night is nothing like Clarke's ever experienced before. It's much more lighthearted than dinners were at her own home when she was growing up. Her mom was always a bit more uptight about things, especially dinner, even if it was just the three of them. Her dad always tried to lighten the mood, but it never lasted for too long.
Which is why she's enjoying just watching the conversation shoot back and forth between the three of them, a quiet moment never lasting long. They're both clearly excited to have Bellamy home, and they all seem to have such a good relationship with each other; it makes her wish that her family could have been that close too. She was always much closer to her dad and she doesn't have any siblings as built-in friends.
Bellamy's mom, Aurora, is definitely one of the nicest and kindest people she's ever met, not letting Clarke lift a finger to help with dinner even though she offered. It's the least she could do for them letting her stay with them over the break. But Aurora wasn't having any of it, even offered Clarke a cup of coffee and told her to go relax in the living room.
Bellamy's sister, Octavia, is way more chaotic than Bellamy described. Chaotic in a good way, though. She seems a bit scatter-brained, but she's also a teenager so Clarke's not going to hold it against her. When they met in the hallway between their rooms when Octavia came home, she gave Clarke one look, referred to her nonchalantly as 'the girl Bell brought home', and then disappeared into her room and started blasting her music.
Needless to say, but she's honestly loving being in this house with these people. It feels much homier than her own home did growing. Nowhere near as stuffy and uptight, it's much more freeing.
"So, Clarke, what is it that you're majoring in? Unless you haven't decided yet."
Clarke looks up at the older woman with a small smile. "I'm actually going to be an art major. I've always loved drawing and painting, and when I realized I could get a degree in it, I knew that was what I wanted to do. I'm only in my second year and haven't applied to the program quite yet, but I'm still excited."
"As you should be. What's your preferred method of art?"
"Um...I tend to lean more towards sketches, but I enjoy painting from time to time. It's really freeing."
"I hate painting," Octavia speaks up. "I suck at it."
Clarke frowns, looking over at the teen. "That's too bad. Why do you think you suck at painting?"
Octavia shrugs. "I don't know. But I don't like my art class at school. I didn't even want to take it in the first place. I got stuck with it as an elective."
"That's because you didn't register on time like you were supposed to," Bellamy responds from his seat at one end of the table. "Maybe you would have gotten your first pick if you had."
Octavia huffs. "I know, Bell. You told me that already. I have to work on this stupid project over the break but I don't want to because I suck at it."
Clarke shifts in her seat, debating whether or not to extend her offer. She hardly knows this girl, there's no guarantee she'll be down for it. "Um, Octavia?"
"Yeah?"
"If you want, maybe I could help you?" She gives her a small smile. "I'm definitely not an expert or anything, but maybe I could give you a few pointers?"
Octavia shrugs. "Whatever. It probably won't help, but sure."
"Cool. Just let me know when you want some help and I'm there." She chances a glance at Bellamy to see him looking at her with a smile that sends a shiver down her spine. She shakes it off and focuses her attention back on her meal. There's nothing in the world like a home-cooked meal, and it's been a very long time since Clarke's had one.
After dinner, Clarke offers to help clean up, but again, Aurora's having none of it. She shoos Clarke into the living room, telling her once more that she's a guest and to not worry about it. Apparently, Octavia and Bellamy have it handled while Aurora catches up on some things for her job.
So Clarke settles herself in the living room and relaxes on the couch. She pulls her legs up under her and leans back, her eyes drifting up to the ceiling. The heater is on, hot air circulating the room and making everything feel even cozier than before—the already decorated tree adds so much to the coziness. It makes Clarke smile.
Seconds later, her phone goes off in her pocket and she pulls it out to find an incoming phone call from Wells. She hits the answer button and holds the device to her ear. "Hello?"
Wells lets out a breath on the other end. "Oh, good, you're still alive. You never texted me."
She winces. "Oh, sorry. As soon as we got here I started settling in and then we just got done with dinner."
"Still, that's no excuse. The least you could do is send me one little text to let me know that you're still alive."
She smiles into the receiver. "I'm sorry. I promise I will text you daily from now on to let you know that I'm still alive."
"Thank you. That's all I ask. Now, since I know you're alive, are you at least enjoying yourself?"
She nods. "Yes, I am. I've only been here a few hours, but they're nice people, not at all crazy ax-wielding murderers."
"Well, that's good. I have to go now because dad's insisting on more bonding, but please do not forget to text me tomorrow to let me know you're alive."
She laughs quietly. "I promise I will. Tell your dad I said hi."
"Will do. Bye, Clarke."
"Bye."
Pulling the phone away from her ear, Clarke ends the call and sets her phone on the arm of the couch. She lets out a breath and runs her hand through her hair.
"So...you thought we were going to be crazy ax-wielding murderers?"
Eyes wide, Clarke spins on the couch and throws a nervous smile at Bellamy. "Hi. Uh, sorry. That was my best friend on the phone and he was a little concerned about me coming here because you and I don't know each other that well. I didn't text him earlier when we got here so he was calling to check in on me."
"Is this the best friend that you would have spent the holiday with if he wasn't with his dad?"
Clarke nods. "Yeah. We've known each other since we were kids and he's very protective over me."
Bellamy raises a brow. "In a good way?"
"Yes. I love him like a brother and he's always checking in on me, making sure I'm doing okay and eating and sleeping and all that."
Bellamy chuckles. "Right. Well, I just wanted to come and say goodnight before I headed upstairs."
Her brows furrow together. "You're going to bed already?"
He shakes his head. "Not really. I'm probably just gonna read a book or something. I'm pretty exhausted from the drive, though, so chances are I will fall asleep very quickly."
Clarke nods. "Ah, well, have fun reading."
"Thanks. Are you good for the night?"
She gives him a small smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. I think I'm just gonna relax down here before I go up."
He nods once. "Okay. I'll see you in the morning, then. Goodnight."
"Night." She gives him a small wave as he makes his way out of the living room and heads toward the stairs.
Leaning back into the couch, Clarke lets out a breath and grabs the blanket off the back to drape over her lap. There's a certain air of calmness around her and she didn't know it's exactly what she needed until she got it.
It's only been a few days since he and Clarke arrived at his childhood home, and Bellamy's been doing his absolute best to make her feel welcome. He doesn't want to push things or be too aggressive in making her feel comfortable, so he's giving her some space every once Ain a while. It only took the first full day of her being there for her not to feel like a stranger. At least, that's what he's assuming. Because after the first few times she stopped asking before doing every little thing and is making herself very comfortable like she's always been there.
He finds it adorable to see her walking around the house in her pajamas with slippers on her feet and a mug of fresh coffee in her hands. He discovered very quickly the first morning that Clarke does not function at full capacity until she's had at least one cup of coffee. She told him very adamantly that she's still able to function relatively well before she has coffee, but that she works much better if she's had a cup or two. He can't say he blames her for that.
Sliding his feet into his shoes, Bellamy does up the laces and then stands from his bed. He grabs one of his old beanies out of his dresser and slips it onto his head, checking to make sure he has his keys, wallet, and phone as he makes his way out of his bedroom and down the stairs. He still has a little last-minute Christmas shopping to do. He hadn't wanted to lug his mom and sister's Christmas presents with him from school, so he has to go get those presents now. Thankfully, he knows exactly what to get for them, and just has to hope that the stores in town will still have what he needs.
It's also probably a good idea to get something for Clarke since she's going to be with them through the holiday. He's glad he's gotten to know a little more about her over the last couple of days so he can have a better idea of what to get her.
"Where are you going looking all toasty warm?"
Turning around in the front entryway as he's pulling his coat on, he smiles at the sight of Clarke still in her pajamas and a cup of coffee in her hands. "I'm heading out to do some Christmas shopping. I need to get you a present after all."
She waves him off. "You don't need to get me anything. You offering to let me stay with your family over Christmas is plenty."
He shakes his head, zipping up the coat and adjusting the collar. "No. You're going to be here for Christmas so you're going to get a present."
She laughs quietly. "Well, that's good. Because I got you something yesterday that you're really going to like so it might be kind of weird if you didn't get me anything too."
His brows furrow slightly. "You went out shopping yesterday? How come you didn't tell me? I would have taken you into town and shown you around."
"Octavia took me around. She said you were going to be out most of the day. And you were. What were you doing yesterday? If you don't mind me asking."
"It's fine. I was hanging out with a friend. He goes to college a little closer to home so we don't really get to see each other unless I come down here or he comes up to where I am. But it doesn't make much sense for him to come up there, so we hang out whenever I come back into town."
She nods slowly. "Oh. That makes sense. Will I get to meet this friend of yours while I'm here?"
"You might. His name is Nathan and we've known each other since we were kids. He's a good guy."
She smiles softly. "Well, I look forward to hopefully meeting him. I'll let you go get your shopping done. I should probably change anyway considering I'm helping Octavia with her project later."
He raises a brow at her words. "She really asked you to help her? I'm surprised. O's usually pretty stubborn and barely even lets me or my mom help her with stuff. She's been like that since she was a kid."
Clarke shrugs. "Maybe it's because I haven't known her since she was a kid; because I'm new."
"Yeah, maybe." He shifts a little on his feet. "Well, I should get going," he tells her, gesturing over his shoulder to the front door. "I need all the time I can to look for something for you."
She smiles softly, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Don't go too crazy, okay?"
"I promise I won't go crazy. But I do insist on finding you the perfect present."
She lets out a small sigh. "Okay. Fine. Now go." She shoos him away and then makes her way up the staircase, disappearing from his view.
Chuckling to himself, Bellamy continues his path out the front door of the house and down the sidewalk to his car, eager to find something for Clarke and get his family's presents as well.
Once he's in town, he stops at the stores he needs to and gets his mom and sister's presents first since that was always his plan even before Clarke came along. Thankfully the stores still have what he needs, so he's able to buy those gifts and then spend the rest of his time finding a present for Clarke.
He has no idea what she could have gotten him, so he doesn't know how far to either end of the scale he should go. He could get her something a little more generic, something one might get for a friend when they've only just become friends. Or he could get her something extremely personal and meaningful that one might get for a friend they've known for years.
He's at a loss. He doesn't want to screw this up. Clarke said it's not a big deal, but she also got him something that he's apparently really going to like. Then again, she did have Octavia with her, so his sister was probably able to give her some ideas of what to get him.
Deciding to not overthink it, Bellamy wanders around the various stores in town, telling himself to just browse, to take his time and see what catches his eye. That he'll know the perfect present when he sees it if he doesn't put too much pressure on himself.
Finally, after what feels like forever, he finds what he believes to be the perfect gift for Clarke. At least, the perfect gift when they've only known each other for roughly three months and have only actually started getting to know each other a few days ago.
When he makes it back home, as soon as he opens the front door he's met with the familiar sound of Octavia's laughter. That was always one of his favorite sounds growing up, especially when he was the one to make it happen.
Stepping into the doorway between the kitchen and living room, he smiles at the sight of Clarke and Octavia sitting at the table with canvases laid out in front of them. Various bottles of paint and a few paintbrushes are scattered across the table.
"I hope you don't think I'm cleaning this up," he remarks.
They both turn to look at him and he's a bit taken aback by Clarke's smile. It's so wide and bright and he finds himself wanting to see it a lot more.
Octavia rolls her eyes. "Don't worry, big brother. We'll clean it up."
"Good. So things are going good here, then?"
Clarke nods. "Very. Octavia is much better at painting than she gives herself credit for."
Octavia shrugs. "I guess there's something different about painting for fun rather than painting for an assignment."
Bellamy raises a brow. "So you're not working on your project, then?"
Clarke rolls her eyes at him. "Relax, Bellamy, we're getting to it. We're just loosening up a bit first, so Octavia's more at ease when it comes to her project. Don't get so grumpy."
Octavia grins. "I like Clarke. Can we keep her?"
Bellamy chuckles. "Sure, O. Is mom home?"
"I think she had to run a few errands."
"Okay. I'll be upstairs if either of you needs me."
Without another word he turns and moves toward the stairs to head to his room. He needs to get these presents wrapped and under the tree before he forgets about it.
That night, after dinner, Clarke is instructed by each member of the Blake family to get dressed in her warmest clothes. They haven't told her why just yet, just to put on the warmest clothes she has and meet them at the front door.
So that's exactly what she does. She and Octavia have the doors to their rooms open as they change so they can talk. Clarke still ducks down behind her door whenever she's changing an article of clothing — she's not quite there in her friendship with Octavia just yet — but that doesn't stop the conversation from flowing. Of course, no matter how hard she tries, she can't get Octavia to tell her why they need to get dressed in warm clothes.
In complete honesty, Clarke hadn't been planning on leaving the house much over the holiday, unless it was deemed absolutely necessary. Such as the previous day when she went out to get Christmas presents because she absolutely needed to get presents for the people who were willing to let her stay with them at the last minute.
When she and Octavia are dressed, donning heavy coats, hats, scarves, and gloves, they make their way downstairs. The conversation continues to flow easily as they wait by the front door for the other two. Somehow, Bellamy is the last one ready.
"So is anyone going to tell me now where we're going?" Clarke tries one more time as they all make their way out of the house, deciding that if they don't tell her after this, she won't ask anymore. But she's always been pretty naturally curious, so it's only driving her a little crazy to not know.
The family of three shares a look, Octavia grinning from ear to ear and bouncing on her feet. Aurora and Bellamy are much calmer, sharing the same amused smile at Octavia's enthusiasm.
"Can I tell her now?" Octavia practically begs. "Please?"
Aurora nods. "Of course."
Grin still on her face, Octavia turns toward Clarke. "We're going caroling."
"Oh, cool. I don't think I've ever been caroling before."
Octavia's eyes go wide. "What? How have you never been caroling before?"
Clarke shrugs. "I don't know. It's just never something we did where I was growing up. But I'm looking forward to getting to try it."
"I'll show you the ropes," Octavia says, looping their arms together. "It's pretty simple, honestly. You know all the classic holiday songs, right?"
Clarke nods slowly. "I think so, yeah."
"Then you're already halfway there. Can you sing?"
"Um, I think I can carry a tune."
"Excellent. You're going to be great at this."
Clarke listens to Octavia talk as they start walking down the sidewalk toward wherever it is they need to be to start caroling. Bellamy and Aurora follow quickly behind them. Clarke glances over her shoulder at one point, locking eyes with Bellamy, and gesturing with her head toward Octavia with slightly furrowed brows.
Bellamy just chuckles and shrugs, giving her a small smile.
Once they reach the center of town, Clarke sees the people all gathered together with small stacks of papers in their hands. Octavia lets go of Clarke and makes a beeline for another girl who looks to be about her age, probably a friend.
Which leaves Clarke alone on the edge of the group with Bellamy since Aurora has also found her way to what Clarke assumes is the woman's own group of friends.
She watches out of the corner of her eye as Bellamy stands next to her, his gloved hands tucked securely into the pockets of his coat. The beanie on his head is pushed down over his ears, but some of his tight curls are sticking out underneath it, somehow making him look even cuter.
She quickly shakes the thought off, not letting herself go there right now. She won't deny that she finds him attractive and she definitely might be falling for him just a little. But she has no idea if he even remotely feels the same way about her, so she doesn't want to say something and have the rest of the vacation be awkward.
"So, you guys really do this every year?" she asks Bellamy, shifting on her feet so she can see him better.
He looks down at her and smiles. "Yeah. O's always loved it. I think it's mostly because she gets to hang out with her friends more since she's a very social butterfly. But it's fun," he says with a small shrug. "Cold, but fun."
"Sounds about right for most winter activities."
Bellamy chuckles. "Yeah, I guess so. You are excited about this, though, right? You didn't just say it to appease Octavia?"
Clarke shakes her head. "No. I am genuinely excited to get to do this. I think it's one of the few winter activities I never did as a child."
"What about making Christmas sugar cookies?" Bellamy asks her, somewhat tentatively. "Is that a winter activity you've done before? Because that's another one that we do every year."
"You know, I think I have actually made sugar cookies before. Though, it could have just been me and Wells goofing off in the kitchen while his mom did all the actual baking." She laughs quietly to herself at the memory.
"Well, you're not going to get away with just goofing off this time around," he tells her with a smile. "Octavia is very insistent that everyone participates. So prepare yourself."
"I think I can handle it," she says back with a smile of her own.
"Alright, well, I'm gonna hold you to that. Now come on, the caroling's about to start." He grabs one of her hands in his and drags her along beside him to where the group is getting ready to go.
She ignores the butterflies that are starting to swarm inside her stomach, but it's hard to do when he's wearing that smile and wrapping his sister in a big bear hug that she immediately grumbles about and shakes off. And then the subsequent excitement he gets at her introducing her to his best friend Nathan. Yeah, she's totally going to be fine the rest of the vacation. This isn't going to be a problem at all.
Bellamy's pretty serious when it comes to making sugar cookies. Especially Christmas sugar cookies. He has no problem admitting that he likes for things to be done in a timely fashion and for all the cookies to be as uniform as possible in their thickness.
But he also doesn't want Clarke to think he's a complete dork, so he led her to believe that Octavia's the one who's a bit more serious about cookie making. In reality, Octavia's the one who's always a bit more…"loose" with how she makes cookies, always getting flour everywhere and not rolling the cookie dough out to an even thickness. It used to drive him crazy, and he used to try and guide her to doing it how he does it, but he realized pretty quickly that it wouldn't do any good, that she was just going to do it how she wanted to.
He and his mom are both a little more precise when it comes to making cookies.
The four of them are at the kitchen table rolling out the dough and cutting out the cookies. His mom had made two batches of sugar cookie dough earlier that morning, doubling the recipe on both, so they're going to get a good number of cookies out of it. They'll have plenty of cookies to take some to various neighbors, as well as some to keep at the house to eat throughout the rest of the holiday.
Christmas music is playing through his phone, filling up the space when they're not talking and laughing. It's a vast array of holiday songs, ranging from the classics that everyone knows, to more modern pop holiday songs-all of them at Octavia's request-and even a few obscure ones that he found once upon a time.
He tries to ignore the way Clarke and Octavia are goofing off, and just focus on cutting out his cookies. They have many holiday-themed cookie cutters to choose from, though he's mostly sticking with the Santa face, the Christmas tree, and the snowman. The majority of the cookie cutters are at the end of the table near where Clarke and Octavia are, though they're hardly being used.
A loud round of laughter finally draws his attention and he looks up to see Clarke and Octavia both laughing with flour dusting their hair, faces, and clothing.
Bellamy can't help but chuckle at the sight, pulling his cellphone out to snap a quick picture. Which was the wrong thing to do because Octavia immediately zeroes in on him.
"What was that?"
He shrugs nonchalantly, sliding his phone back into his pocket. "What was what?"
She narrows her eyes. "Don't, Bell. I know you took a picture."
"So then why'd you ask what I was doing?" he responds playfully.
Her eyes narrow more if that's even possible. "If that's an embarrassing picture of me and you post it online where my friends can see, I will end you."
"Octavia," their mom scolds, her head down as she focuses on her own sugar cookies. "No threatening your brother."
Octavia gapes. "But mom, he was—"
"I don't want to hear it."
Octavia sighs heavily. "Fine. But please, Bell, if that picture is embarrassing in any way, don't post it."
He smiles softly. "I won't. But it's not embarrassing. It's pretty cute. The two of you standing there covered in flour, truly adorable." He laughs quietly when both girls narrow their eyes at him and then turns back to focus his attention on his cookies.
They need to get these cookies done as soon as possible so they can start taking them to the neighbors who are still in town. It's not like it's mandatory or anything for them to get these cookies out, but they've been doing it every year for as long as Bellamy can remember. Their neighbors have come to love and expect the cookie deliveries.
Thankfully, despite more goofing off from Clarke and Octavia, they get all the cookies cut out and prepared for the oven. He sneaks a few bites of the leftover cookie dough scraps that can no longer be made into a cookie and pops them into his mouth.
Now they just have to wait for all the cookies to be finished baking. And then they can package them up and take them out to deliver.
"Clarke, you're coming with us to deliver the cookies, right?" Octavia asks as the three of them begin cleaning up their mess on the table.
Clarke glances between them. "Oh, um, do you want me to? I don't have to if it's more of a sibling thing."
Octavia waves her off. "Don't be ridiculous. Of course, you can come with us. Right, Bell?"
"Uh, yeah," Bellamy says, not wanting to sound too eager. He really is hoping that Clarke will want to deliver cookies with them. He just doesn't want to freak her out by being too enthusiastic about it. "You can definitely come if you want to."
Clarke smiles brightly. "Great. Then I will. When do we leave?"
"As soon as the cookies are done and we package them up," Octavia tells her. "It'll be fun, you can meet all our neighbors. They love it when we bring them cookies."
"They do seem to enjoy it," Bellamy says with a smile. "Now you two go get cleaned up, you've still got flour pretty much everywhere on you."
Octavia rolls her eyes at him as she moves away from the table in the direction of the stairs. "Yes, dad."
"Kids, am I right?" Bellamy says to Clarke as she walks past him following behind Octavia.
She stifles a laugh which he takes as a success.
"I heard that," Octavia calls from the hallway.
Bellamy chuckles. "You were meant to."
Stepping into the Blake residence after delivering sugar cookies to all the neighbors that are still in town, Clarke shrugs out of her coat and hands it to Bellamy so he can hang it up for her in the hall closet. She bends down to undo the laces of her boots and step out of them, following Octavia's lead and shoving them against the wall.
"Mom, we're back," Bellamy calls out, moving further into the house.
Clarke follows after him with Octavia at her side, entering the living room to find Aurora curled up on the couch with a blanket across her lap and an open book in her hands.
The older woman smiles. "How did it go?"
"Great," Bellamy answers. "Everyone loved the cookies, just like always."
"I'm glad to hear it. Now, before the three of you head upstairs to change so we can watch some movies, a little something to make the night more festive." She pulls two gift boxes out and hands them to her children.
They're both beaming as they open the gifts and Clarke watches with amusement as they pull out matching Christmas pajama sets. Once she gets a chance to really see them, she realizes it's the exact same kind that Aurora herself is wearing. Bellamy was right when he said that they really do Christmas.
"That's amazing," Clarke speaks up with a smile. "You three are going to look great in your matching pajamas."
Aurora smiles. "Of course they will. But, I have something for you too, Clarke." She grabs another gift box and holds it out.
Clarke takes the box and doesn't hesitate in getting it open. Lying inside beneath the tissue paper is a set of pajamas to match the other three sets. She can't help but smile.
"I know this is your first time here," Aurora tells her, "and that you hardly know us, but I didn't want you to feel left out. Thankfully they still had one more. I hope I got the size right. I didn't ask because I didn't want to spoil the surprise."
Clarke looks up at the woman with tears in her eyes. "Thank you. They're perfect."
"I'm glad you think so." Aurora shifts on the couch and leans into the cushion. "Now go," she says, shooing the three of them away. "Go change and then come on back down here so we can watch some Christmas movies."
Clarke follows the overly excited Blake siblings to the second floor of the house, turning down the same hall as Octavia to go to her temporary room.
She changes quickly into the pajamas, finding that they fit pretty well aside from the shirt being a little snug in the boob area. But she can push that aside because the fabric is extremely comfortable and the little cartoon reindeers scattered across the green background are beyond adorable. Knowing that she's going to see Bellamy and Octavia in matching ones very soon keeps the smile on her face.
Stepping into the hallway, Clarke's met with a smiling Octavia who immediately pulls her into a hug, going on about how cute they both look and then pulling her toward the stairs. This girl really does love Christmas and Clarke is pleased to say that some of that enthusiasm has been rubbing off on her since she arrived.
"Well don't you two just look so cozy."
Turning her head once she reaches the bottom step, Clarke laughs quietly at the sight of Bellamy moving toward them in his own reindeer covered pajamas, a smile on his face and his hair slightly messed up from the hat he was wearing earlier. He looks incredibly cute this way and it's enough to make Clarke's heart flutter.
Octavia laughs. "Why do you always look so dorky in your pajamas, Bell?"
Bellamy just rolls his eyes as he moves closer. "Whatever, O. If you ladies are up for it, I think we should take a picture to document how amazing we look right now."
"I say yes," Clarke replies with a smile. "Wells will get a kick out of this. And probably be jealous that he doesn't have matching pajamas. Will you send it to me after you take it?"
Bellamy smiles softly and nods. "Yeah, of course."
"Great."
The three of them huddle together with Clarke standing in between the Blake siblings, wide smiles on each of their faces. Clarke leans against Bellamy-she doesn't realize she does it until after the fact-and tilts her head to rest against Octavia's, her eyes focused on the camera of Bellamy's phone.
Once the photo is taken, the three of them separate from each other and then move to join Aurora in the living room again. Octavia talks Clarke's ear off the short walk there, telling her about all the movies they're planning on watching, movies that they watch every Christmas Eve before they go to bed. And always in their matching pajamas.
As soon as they step into the living room, Aurora is smiling brightly at them. "Oh, you three look fantastic. Clarke, do they fit okay?"
Clarke nods, glancing down at her pajamas and running her hands over the fabric. "They fit great. The shirt's a little snug, but I don't mind. And thanks, again, you didn't have to get me matching pajamas too."
Aurora waves her off. "Nonsense, you're staying with us for the holiday, I want you to feel as welcome here as possible. Now, all three of you, get over here and get comfortable." She shifts on the couch and pats the cushion next to her.
Clarke smiles as she follows Bellamy and Octavia to the couch, finding herself once again sandwiched between the two siblings. Not that she minds, though. She settles in comfortably on the couch, snuggling under the blanket that Octavia drapes over the three of them just as the opening credits for the first movie are rolling across the screen.
Yawning and stretching his arms above his head, Bellamy lies in his bed for another moment or two. He's beyond glad that Octavia is no longer a small child who wakes him up as early as possible so they can open presents. She's still crazy enthusiastic about it because it is Christmas and she has always loved Christmas, but she doesn't wake him up before the sun's up anymore. Thankfully.
Tossing the covers off his body, Bellamy sits up and stretches once more, another yawn escaping past his lips. He grabs his phone as he stands, shuffling across the carpet to the door to go to the bathroom.
He's rubbing the sleep out of his eyes when he accidentally bumps into someone. There are only two choices of who it could be, and after opening his eyes, he's not sure whether to be relieved or slightly embarrassed that it's Clarke. Though, he doesn't know why he would be embarrassed.
She gives him a sheepish smile. "Sorry. Did you need to…" she trails off, gesturing to the bathroom door.
He shakes his head. "No, you go. I'll just use the one downstairs."
"Okay. I'll...I'll see you down there in a bit, then."
He smiles. "Yeah." He waits for the bathroom door to shut behind her and then trudges his way down the stairs, a smile tugging at his lips when he smells the cinnamon rolls in the oven. One of his all-time favorite traditions, eating cinnamon rolls Christmas morning while opening presents. Of course, they didn't start eating them while opening presents until both he and Octavia were old enough to be able to avoid getting the stickiness from the cinnamon rolls over everything in existence.
"Merry Christmas, Bellamy."
He smiles at his mom standing in the kitchen by the oven, a festive holiday apron tied around her waist. "Hey, mom. Merry Christmas." He crosses the floor to press a kiss to her cheek. "I'm gonna use the bathroom down here since Clarke's in the other one."
"Okay."
By the time he gets out of the bathroom, everyone's gathered in the living room, Clarke and Octavia both sitting on the floor while his mom sits in her usual chair. They each have a plate with a cinnamon roll, and there's one set on the coffee table for him.
"About time you joined us, big brother," Octavia remarks around a mouthful of food. She swallows. "I was about to open all your presents for you."
"Shut up, no you weren't," he responds, sinking down to the carpet and pulling his cinnamon roll closer. He takes a bite out of it, letting the soft bread dough fill his mouth, the familiar cinnamon and sugar mix exploding across his taste buds. It tastes like Christmas.
"These are amazing, by the way," Clarke speaks up, her cinnamon roll almost gone. "I've had cinnamon rolls before, but none like this."
His mom laughs. "Thank you, Clarke. I promise I don't do anything special to them, though, just make them how my mom always made them."
She swallows another bite. "Well, they're incredible. Seriously. You two are lucky to get these all the time."
"Actually, we don't," Octavia tells her. "Mom only makes them Christmas morning."
Clarke's eyes go wide. "So it's been an entire year since you've had these? Wow. I commend you both on holding out for so long."
Bellamy chuckles. "Oh, we definitely complain about only getting these once a year."
"And now we have them," Octavia pipes in. "Can we open presents now?"
"Of course we can," their mom speaks up, shifting in her chair to reach for the presents and stockings lying by the tree—they don't have a fireplace so the stockings get set in front of the tree when they're filled.
As his mom is grabbing the stockings, he realizes that there's one more stocking by the tree than usual, and it's completely blank. Taking a completely wild guess, it's for Clarke.
Octavia eagerly takes her stocking, digging into it immediately to see what kinds of goodies are in it. Bellamy takes his stocking a little more calmly, though he is still excited to see what's inside.
"Aurora, really, this is too much."
Bellamy looks up at hearing Clarke's voice, watching as his mom sets the filled stocking in Clarke's lap. His mom has a happy smile while Clarke's own smile is a little more reserved.
"Sweetheart, I told you already, you're our guest, I want you to feel welcome. Just accept the stocking."
Clarke's smile shifts. "Okay. Thank you."
"You're welcome."
Bellamy watches as Clarke pulls out everything inside her stocking. Not nearly as much as he and Octavia get, but then, his mom has only known Clarke a handful of days.
He can't help the way his heart swells at seeing the look on Clarke's face as she opens her stocking, laying everything out in front of her.
"This is actually perfect because I needed some more fabric markers," Clarke remarks with a wide smile. "Thank you, Aurora."
His mom smiles. "I'm glad you like them. They're so you can decorate your stocking once we're all done opening presents. Once I knew you were an artist, I thought it'd be something fun for you to be able to do."
"It is. Thank you."
"Bell and I decorated ours too," Octavia pipes up, already working her way through the small pieces of candy that were at the bottom of her stocking. "Once we were old enough to actually want to do it. That's why they look so bad."
"I happen to think it gives them character," their mom responds. "You made those with your own two hands."
Octavia laughs. "Yeah. Little tiny chubby hands that probably struggled to hold the markers. Can we open the actual presents now, please?"
Bellamy chuckles. "Always so impatient."
Octavia just shrugs, tossing another Hershey's kiss into her mouth.
Their mom passes out all the presents, and they all take their time opening everything, not wanting to rush through. Each of them gets their moment in the proverbial spotlight to open their gifts and thank whoever got it for them.
When it's Clarke's turn to open her presents, he can't help but fidget nervously when she gets to the one he got for her. Part of him wishes she would open it when no one else is around, just in case she hates it. But he's also pretty sure she'll like it.
"Bellamy, I love it," Clarke says once she's unwrapped the gift and is holding it up for his mom and Octavia to see. It's a white ceramic coffee mug with a stylized letter 'C' on one side, and a small package of paints with it.
He smiles at her. "I'm glad you like it. Guess mom and I had the same idea with the craft stuff. It has some paints that you can use to color in the 'C' if you want to, and then you bake it so it sets."
Clarke smiles back. "I don't know if I'm going to color it. I kinda like it just like this. But I'll keep the paints somewhere safe in case I change my mind."
He opens his mouth to say something else when a shrill sound rings through the room.
Clarke groans and reaches for her phone, barely glancing at the screen before silencing it. The smile is gone from her face and he can't ignore the way he wants to give a piece of his mind to whoever made the smile disappear from her face.
"Is everything okay, sweetheart?"
Clarke sighs heavily. "Yeah, I'm…that was my mom. This is her first time trying to reach out to me since we stopped talking. But I feel like too much has happened for us to ever be on good terms again." She lets out a humorless laugh. "Sorry. Here you guys are letting me crash your holiday and I'm bringing the entire mood down by talking about my extremely strained relationship with my mom."
"You can have ours," Octavia tells her around a mouthful of chocolate. "Obviously you've already seen how awesome she is and she clearly likes having you around and buying you stuff."
Clarke smiles, though it's not as bright as before. "Thanks, Octavia. I appreciate that." She takes a deep breath and shifts. "But enough about me, I promise I'll be fine. Let's get back to opening these presents."
After they've opened all the rest of the gifts and then cleaned up the mess in the living room that comes from opening Christmas presents, the four of them wander off to wherever in the house to do their own thing. That is, at least until it's time for lunch when they'll watch more Christmas movies together.
Walking the short distance to the room Clarke's staying in, Bellamy lets out a breath of relief when he sees Octavia's door closed—he doesn't need her butting in on this—with the usual blare of music coming from behind it. Though it's much more festive today than on any other day.
Finding Clarke's door wide open, he gently knocks on the doorframe and then takes a small step inside. He gives her a small smile when she looks up. "Hi."
"Hey. What's up?"
He shrugs. "Wanted to come see you. See how you're doing."
She takes a deep breath. "Honestly? Much better. Art helps me relax and destress."
He takes in the Christmas stocking lying in front of her on the carpet, the fabric markers spread out on either side and one in her hand. There's already some kind of design on the front of the stocking, he just can't tell what it is.
"Well, I'm glad you're having fun," he says, moving further into the room. "And, you know, Octavia was right earlier. You can borrow our mom whenever you need her."
Clarke's smile widens. "Thanks. I'll definitely have to take you up on that offer."
"Just don't wait too long. I know she'll want to see you sooner rather than later once the holiday is over and we're back up a school."
"Promise."
Knowing that the holiday is coming to an end soon, Clarke has really been savoring every moment of it over the last few days since Christmas. She's been hanging out with Bellamy and Octavia every chance she gets, wanting to witness more of their sibling dynamic that always makes her smile.
And now it's New Year's Eve and Octavia is at a party at her best friend's house, leaving just Aurora, Bellamy, and Clarke at the house to ring in the New Year. Clarke's not sure what to think, though, when Aurora leaves them alone in the living room at 11:30 because she's feeling tired. But from the look she barely catches on Bellamy's face, Aurora probably isn't actually all that tired.
"Have you enjoyed your vacation this year?"
Clarke looks up at Bellamy, gently swirling the sparkling cider around in her glass. She gives him a small smile. "Yeah, I really have been. And thanks again, for offering to let me stay with you guys. If it wasn't for this I honestly don't know what I would have done the entire break."
"You really couldn't go home?"
She sighs heavily. "Not if I wanted another fight to break out between me and my mom over the stupidest stuff. But I don't...I don't really want to talk about that right now."
He nods. "Oh, yeah, of course. Sorry for bringing it up."
"It's okay. I'd just rather spend the last few moments of this year enjoying myself without thinking about stuff that's just going to bring me down."
He smiles. "I get it. What are you looking forward to in the New Year?"
Clarke tilts her head as she thinks, racking her brain. "Um, I don't know, honestly. Probably finishing up this school year and applying to the art program for next school year." She laughs quietly. "There is an art exhibit that I'm really looking forward to going to, though. It's in the next town over from where the school is, and it's happening almost right after we'll be back. It's supposed to be pretty cool."
"Well, I hope you have a good time."
"Thanks. What about you? What are you looking forward to?"
He shifts in his seat, turning a little more to face her. "Turning the tables back on me now, I see."
She nods. "Mm-hmm."
"Alright. Well, I am also looking forward to finishing up the school year, considering it's my final one and I'll be student teaching in my last semester. And spending more time with you, hopefully. I think the only times we've ever hung out before this was when we were with Steve."
Clarke laughs quietly. "Yeah, he was kind of our middle man for having fun."
"But there's no more need for the middle man now," Bellamy remarks, taking a sip from his cider.
"No there's not," Clarke agrees, her eyes following the movements of Bellamy's lips. It's almost the New Year and she doesn't want to start it off with any regrets. But she also doesn't want to ruin this new friendship that she really likes having. She doesn't want either of them to have to tell Steve that they're no longer friends because things are awkward. It'll crush the poor guy.
Glancing at the TV, Clarke watches for a moment as the seconds tick down to the New Year. It's getting closer now and she needs to work up the guts to do this soon before she chickens out altogether.
Turning back to look at Bellamy again, she opens her mouth and gets his name out at the same time he says hers. They both smile and then laugh quietly.
"Sorry," she says, leaning over to place her drink on the coffee table, "you go first."
He shakes his head, setting his drink down next to hers. "No, you go."
"Okay." She takes a deep breath, squaring her shoulders. "Um, well, I was wondering, if you're not too busy when we get back to school maybe you'd want to go with me to that art exhibit I mentioned. Like a date. With me. A date with me." She smiles sheepishly.
He smiles softly. "I'd love to go with you." He rubs the back of his neck. "I was actually going to ask you out too, but you beat me to it."
She perks up instantly. "Wait, really? That's great." She shifts a little. "Um, there's actually one more thing."
"What is it?"
She bites her bottom lip between her teeth. "Do you think I could spend Christmas with you guys again next year?"
His smile widens and he moves a little closer to her. "I think we can make that work."
She lets out a breath. "Good. That's good."
Loud shouts of 'happy new year' ring out through the TV's speakers, filling the space around them.
Clarke shifts closer to Bellamy, leaning forward just a little. "Happy New Year, Bellamy."
He makes the final move and dips his head to slide his lips over hers. One of his hands caresses her cheek and the other lands on her waist and squeezes just the tiniest bit.
When he pulls away he rests his forehead against hers, his thumb rubbing gently against her cheek. "Happy New Year, Clarke."
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Until next time,
Jellybean96 out!