Hey babes! Back again with a new fic for ya! This one came about as part of a Valentine's Day exchange over on Tumblr, and I had so much fun putting this together. Big point to note here: s7 never happened.

Enjoy!

It's been just over a week since the Primes were destroyed and everything on Sanctum is still in varying states of disarray. No one is entirely sure what's going to happen next, and Octavia is even less sure. Seeing as she hasn't been on good terms with anyone on this planet in quite a while, she's taken to mostly sticking to herself and hoping to ride out whatever comes next.

Even if that means lingering around the edges of the communal area, watching as everyone else on the planet bustles around trying to find some kind of order to everything now that there's no longer a leader of Sanctum. It's amusing, in a way, reminding her a bit of how things were back when they first landed on Earth, before any kind of leadership was really established.

Of course, it's much different this time around, something she's extremely grateful for. As she's sure the rest are as well.

And being on the edge of things, both literally and figuratively, allows her the chance to see everyone adjusting to this new way of life; the residents of Sanctum having their gods being disproven, and the former residents of Earth having to settle on a new, unfamiliar planet. Watching everyone have to find ways to coexist is fun now that she's not the one that's trying to hold it all together and keep the peace. She never truly wanted that, still doesn't, and she's more than happy to let someone else have a go at it if they wish.

"Hey! Wait up!"

Octavia perks up a bit at the familiar voice of her older brother, watching as he crosses the central space at a light jog. She lets her eyes track the path he's taking, finding Clarke and Madi at the end of it. No surprise there. That man would spend every second around those two if he could.

Octavia momentarily contemplates moving closer so she can hear what's being said, but she'd rather not get pulled into a conversation by anyone, especially if it accidentally disrupts whatever's happening between Bellamy and Clarke. Those two have a lot to work through, given everything that's happened since the day they met, and maybe now they'll finally have a chance to well and truly clear the air. Once they get their heads out of their asses, of course.

She sighs heavily when she clocks the way Clarke shuffles back every time Bellamy takes a couple of steps closer. He has a small stack of what she thinks is paper in his hands, but she has no idea what it could even be, and he's waving it about every so often as he talks. He doesn't seem to be mad, though his body language does look a little intense for just a quick catch-up session.

They really are idiots.

"It's interesting, isn't it?"

Octavia turns slightly to see Gabriel standing next to her, his eyes fixed on the trio together. "What?"

He nods forward. "Those two. It wasn't that long ago that I watched your brother pretty much single-handedly bring Clarke back from the brink of death, and now he can hardly look her in the eye. She was hugging him like he was the only thing keeping her alive, and now it's like she doesn't want to be anywhere near him."

Octavia snorts. "That's Clarke and Bellamy, for you. Two of the smartest people I know when it comes to ensuring everyone around them stays alive, but the absolute dumbest when it comes to matters of their own happiness."

"So they've always been like this?"

"Well, they definitely didn't like each other right away when we first landed on the ground. Bell thought Clarke was a stuck-up spoiled princess, and Clarke thought Bellamy was a good-for-nothing troublemaker."

"What changed?"

"I don't think it was just one thing, you know? It was a bunch of little things, all the decisions they made together to make sure as many of us survived as possible. They relied on each other for pretty much everything and ended up trusting each other more than they trusted anyone else. Of course, that's not to say they didn't have their setbacks from time to time."

"But overall, they care about each other a lot," Gabriel surmises.

Octavia nods as she shifts on her feet. "That's putting it lightly, but yeah. They're in love but aren't willing to admit it. They've both lost a lot, even before getting to the ground, and I don't think either of them is brave enough to put themselves out there again, to risk having their hearts broken. It's sad, honestly. At this rate, they're gonna be old and gray on their deathbeds but still unwilling to say anything."

"So…maybe somebody should help them voice their feelings."

Octavia's eyes narrow slightly. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about finding a way to get them to confess their feelings."

"That's not gonna be easy. They're both stubborn as hell."

Gabriel shrugs. "So we'll have to get creative." He shifts a little on his feet, his brows furrowing together slightly. "You know what, I think I might actually have an idea."

"I'm listening."

"Okay, so, back on earth, there was this holiday that was meant specifically for romance, it was called Valentine's Day. Basically, couples would go out to a nice dinner or see a show, or just do anything they considered romantic, even if it meant just staying in. We may be light years away from earth and have no way of knowing if it's February 14th there, but we could recreate something like that for Clarke and Bellamy."

Octavia tilts her head as she thinks over the idea. "It certainly couldn't hurt to try. Though, you're gonna have to take the lead because I have absolutely no idea what we'll need to do. We didn't have traditional earth holidays on the Ark, and once on the ground we were more worried about not dying than about celebrating anything."

He nods. "Right, of course. Won't be a problem. I mean, we didn't exactly celebrate old holidays here either, but I'm sure I can remember enough to come up with some ideas to run by you."

"Not necessary. I'm not exactly an expert in romance."

"But you know your brother and Clarke better than I do."

"Doesn't mean I know what they prefer when it comes to romance."

He sighs heavily. "Are you going to be like this the entire time?"

"Haven't decided yet."

"Great. I'll see you later."

As she's watching him walk away, Octavia looks back to wear Bellamy and Clarke had just been, only to find them now gone. But there is one person still lingering that might actually have some inside knowledge that would be useful. Or, at the very least, she could help her attain the information she needs.

"Madi," she calls out, smiling slightly when the young girl looks her way, and then waves her over.

Madi's brows furrow slightly as she gets closer. "Um, hi, Octavia. Did you need something?"

"First, I have a question for you. Has Clarke ever given you any indication in the time you've known her about her feelings for Bellamy?"

Madi simply rolls her eyes. "I'm not an idiot. I know she really likes him. She definitely hasn't realized I've noticed how she talks about him and looks at him. It's annoying sometimes."

"Perfect." She leans a bit closer even though there's no one else nearby. "How would you like to help me and Gabriel with a plan to hopefully make them finally admit their feelings?"

Madi grins. "I'm in. Just tell me what to do."

Sitting at a table that's close enough to hear but not close enough to be seen, Octavia watches with the tiniest hint of a smile as Clarke enters the decorated tavern, Bellamy walking in not long after. She's only slightly surprised she was able to get them both to show up, though she knows they both followed through because they believed the other wanted them to. Because at the end of the day, Clarke and Bellamy will do anything for each other. Even if that means showing up to a place with very little information.

"Did I miss anything?"

Octavia curses herself internally for jumping, she should be more aware of her surroundings, and turns to glare at Gabriel. "Sit down before you give us away." She waits for him to take the empty seat across from her. "And no, you didn't miss anything. They just got here. Now shut up so I can hear."

He holds his hands up in surrender and leans back in his seat with a smile. "Okay, okay, sorry."

Shooting him another look for good measure, Octavia turns back to where Clarke and Bellamy are standing near the front of the tavern, focusing in on their conversation already happening and praying that no one makes too much noise. They all know what's on the line here.

"So it really wasn't you who left me that note asking to meet here?" Clarke asks, a curious gaze in her eyes.

Bellamy shakes his head. "No. And I'm guessing you didn't leave me a note either?"

"Not that I can remember." She sighs heavily. "Somebody wanted us to be here, but doesn't want us to know who they are or why they want us here."

Bellamy nods. "Seems like the most likely reason. But…I think I might know the reason we're here," he says, glancing around the room.

Octavia ducks down a little just to be extra sure he doesn't see her but keeps her ears focused.

"Okay. Why?" Clarke asks.

"Look around," Bellamy says, holding his arms up. "Everyone's paired off, sitting at tables with nice meals and candlelight, no children around, soft music playing in the corner, cutouts of heart shapes all over the walls and ceiling. I think we're being set up. On a date."

Clarke blinks. "Oh."

Bellamy nods. "Yeah. And I have a strong suspicion of who's behind it. Madi's been asking me a lot of questions the last few days, mostly about my plans and certain types of preferences."

Clarke's brows furrow slightly. "She's been doing the same to me too. But…she couldn't have put all of this together on her own, right? I mean, I know she's smart, but even this is a lot for one kid to arrange all on her own."

Bellamy remains silent, his brows furrowed slightly too as he thinks.

Octavia groans quietly and mutters under her breath, "Because of course they're trying to figure out who's behind this instead of just sitting down and eating."

"Think they'll figure out it was us?" Gabriel asks her as Clarke and Bellamy continue to throw out possible options of who could have planned the night.

She sighs. "I honestly don't know. They're smart, but I'm pretty sure I'm the last person they'll suspect. If they do at all. So unless Madi says something, they probably won't figure it out."

"Do you want them to know it was us?"

"Part of me does," she admits. "But the other part wants them to never figure it out."

"Guess we'll just have to wait that bit out, then."

"I guess so."

"Look," Bellamy speaks a little louder, gaining Octavia's attention again, "I don't think we're going to figure this out tonight so there's no use in continuing to talk about it. Clearly whoever did this put a lot of effort into it, but I wish I knew who did it because I would have told them not to."

Octavia's eyes go wide at her brother's words, her gaze immediately shifting to Clarke to see how she reacts, knowing it probably won't be good. "He is such an idiot," she grumbles, focusing on the scene and watching as Clarke's entire body stiffens.

"I see," Clarke says after a quiet moment, pulling her lips in tight and nodding once as she straightens her back. "Well then, if that's how you feel, I guess I'll leave you alone."

Octavia wants to pull her hair out when she sees Clarke turn and start to walk away, inching closer to the doors with every step. All of that planning and scheming and Bellamy just sank the entire thing by being himself. Typical.

"Clarke, wait."

Octavia perks up a little at the call, watching as Bellamy strides across the floor to meet Clarke right in front of the doors.

"Please, wait," he says, reaching out to grab her arm and turn her around.

Clarke's eyes narrow slightly. "What do you want, Bellamy?"

"That's not…I didn't mean it like that."

"Like what?"

"Like I don't want to spend time with you." He releases her arm and runs that hand through his hair. "I just…I would have told whoever did this not to mess with something they don't understand."

Octavia's brows furrow slightly. What does she not understand? Clarke and Bellamy have feelings but are too stubborn to do anything on their own. How could it be any more difficult to understand?

"Well, then maybe you can explain it to me because I'm not sure I understand either. Because let's be honest with each other, Bellamy, nothing has been the same between us for a very, very long time. Everything has changed, I've changed, and I'm…I'm exhausted, okay? I can't keep going on like this, not knowing where we stand with each other because we're both too scared to actually do or say anything about it."

Bellamy raises a brow. "You want one of us to stop being scared? Okay, fine. Then I'll stop being scared." He takes a deep breath. "You are the most important person in my life, Clarke, that's where you stand with me. So please, please don't walk away. Not again. I won't survive without you in my life, Clarke."

She shakes her head. "You'll be perfectly fine without me, Bellamy."

"No, I won't be. Every time you leave, or I think you've died…I'm told I don't make the smartest decisions in those moments."

Octavia snorts. "That's an understatement."

"I need you with me, Clarke, I need you at my side. This place…it's new and different, but I am hoping it's our last stop, and that there will be no more fighting for our lives or having to find a new place to live. And so many people keep turning to me for guidance and I can't do it alone, Clarke. I'm sorry for being so distant lately, I've been trying to give you some space to deal with everything, but I miss you."

Hesitation passes over Clarke's face. "I…I miss you too."

Octavia breathes deeply, forcing herself not to let any tears fall. She's been waiting so long for a moment like this. And now it's finally happening.

Bellamy shifts a bit on his feet. "Look, I know we can't get back all the time we lost, and we can't change decisions we've already made, but maybe we can move forward together, and be better together. Let's just forget about the past and start over."

Clarke sighs. "I don't think it's that simple, Bellamy."

He shrugs. "Who said it can't be? We decide our own paths, Clarke. No one else, just us. If we want to start over, we'll start over."

"Bellamy, you don't know how much I want to do that…"

"So then let's do it." He clears his throat and stands up a little taller, holding out a hand. "Hi, I'm Bellamy. I have one younger sister named Octavia, and I've been told before that I'm a history nerd. Nice to meet you."

Octavia rolls her eyes at Bellamy's antics. He's such a dork.

The corners of Clarke's lips curve up and then she reaches out to grab Bellamy's hand, giving it a quick shake. "Nice to meet you too, Bellamy. I'm Clarke. I don't have any siblings, and I want to get back into art."

"Well, Clarke, I look forward to getting to know more about you. Would you care to join me for dinner since I'm assuming it's already been prepared and it'd be a shame to waste it? And then maybe afterwards we could go on a walk?"

Clarke smiles. "I would love to."

Octavia watches with a smile of her own as Jordan appears suddenly as if out of nowhere and plays his part perfectly, leading Clarke and Bellamy to the only other empty table in the room. Bellamy even pulls the chair out for Clarke, earning him a smile from the blonde, and then takes his own seat across from her, offering her a smile of his own.

"Did that turn out how you'd hoped it would?" Gabriel asks quietly from beside her.

She glances at him and shrugs, leaning back in her chair. "More or less. I didn't think Bellamy would mess up so quickly, but I knew Clarke would forgive him. It's hard for the two of them to stay mad at each other for too long."

"As so clearly evidenced by what we just saw. I just hope they'll stick to what they said."

"I've seen them come back from way worse, so trust me when I say that they'll be fine. Well, as long as there aren't any more life-threatening moments that they have to deal with."

"Guess I'll trust your judgment on this since you've known them longer." Gabriel takes a deep breath and shifts. "So, since we're already here…wanna have dinner with me?"

Octavia rolls her eyes. "Whatever. But this isn't a date. And we're following Bellamy and Clarke when they're finished eating to make sure neither of them does anything else stupid to ruin things."

Gabriel smiles. "Sounds perfect."

.

.

.

Bellamy and Clarke aren't the last ones out of the building, but close enough to it.

Octavia has to practically drag Gabriel out of his seat when she stands to follow the pair, making sure to stay at a distance and as quiet as possible so they won't be noticed. They have to duck behind different buildings every so often to stay close enough to hear what they're saying without being seen.

The conversation is mostly just small talk, the pair finding common ground again and genuinely catching up on each other's lives. Octavia would be lying if she said she isn't happy that they're finally doing so. She knows it's been rough for them, finding each other after six years and being relative strangers again.

Eventually, they wind up back at the place Clarke shares with Madi and a few others, and Octavia pulls Gabriel with her as she once again ducks down against the side of the farmhouse so she's close enough to still see and hear what's happening.

She watches as Bellamy walks Clarke right up to her door, both of them keeping a good amount of distance between them. Octavia can't help but be amused at how unlike them it is, to have any space between them at all when she's seen them stand a whole lot closer than that.

"Think they're gonna kiss?" Gabriel asks in a whisper. "Walking a girl to the door after a first date usually always leads to a first kiss."

"I have no idea. I hope so, just so they'll put us all out of misery waiting for it to happen."

Up on the porch, Clarke turns to face Bellamy with a small smile. "Um, thanks for walking me back."

Bellamy smiles and nods. "Of course. And uh, I had fun tonight. Even if it was someone else's meddling that led to it."

"Yeah, me too. It was honestly one of the best nights I've had in a very, very long time."

"I'm happy to have been a part of it, then. Even if it was just by simply being there." There's a brief moment of hesitation from Bellamy, his mouth opening and closing. Then he lets out a small breath. "I'll see you in the morning." He slowly turns and starts to walk toward the steps.

Octavia almost yells out but Clarke beats her to it.

"Bellamy. Wait."

He turns back slightly. "Yeah?"

Clarke shifts a little on her feet. "Um…do you maybe…want to do this again? Go on a date?"

He turns back the rest of the way. "We'll have to get creative." He takes a few small steps closer. "I don't exactly know what they used to do for dates back on Earth, but we probably wouldn't be able to do most of it here."

Clarke shrugs. "That's okay. It might be fun coming up with new things to do around here."

"Yeah, I think so too." There's a brief pause, and then Bellamy smiles. "So yes, Clarke, I would love to go on another date with you."

Clarke lets out a breath. "Good. One last thing. Do you want to come inside?" she asks, gesturing to the door with her thumb. "Madi's staying with a friend tonight and apparently everyone else had plans away from the house, so maybe you and I don't have to let our night end here…"

Octavia blanches at the insinuation behind Clarke's words and the image it almost produces. She knows for a fact that she never deliberately asked anyone other than Madi to stay away from the farmhouse, since she knew Clarke would be more willing to show up to the date if Madi was being looked after. Everyone else, though…that was definitely someone else's doing.

"As much as it pains a part of me to say it, I think I'm just gonna go back to my place."

Clarke's smile falters as she glances down. "Oh, okay."

Bellamy reaches out to place a hand on Clarke's arm, getting her to look at him again. "Hey, don't get the wrong idea here, okay? I would love to keep spending time together, but if I'm alone with you any longer, I genuinely don't know if I'll be able to keep holding back on just over a century's worth of feelings for you."

Clarke gives a one-shouldered shrug. "I don't care."

"But I do." He takes a deep breath, letting his hand slide down Clarke's arm until it reaches her hand, grabbing onto it firmly. "I love you, Clarke. I always have. And I never stopped."

Octavia nearly chokes on her own saliva at her brother's confession, her eyes going wide as she watches them in the silence. She definitely didn't think a love confession would be happening tonight.

"Damn," Gabriel comments from beside her with a quiet laugh. "That's a bold move."

"To be fair, he's been holding onto that for a hundred years. It's about time he said it out loud."

"You what?" Clarke asks after a moment, her voice barely above a whisper but thankfully still able to be heard at a slight distance.

"I love you," Bellamy repeats, stepping even closer with a smile. "And if we're gonna do this, we're gonna do it right. Or at the very least, I'm gonna try. Which means that this is where the first date ends," he says with a soft smile and then leans down to press a kiss to her cheek, lingering. "Goodnight, Clarke." He steps back, releasing her hand, and then turns to make his way down the steps.

Octavia almost misses what happens next because she's about to call it a job well done and then leave. But then she sees Clarke start to move.

The blonde steps away from the door of her home and rushes down the stairs. "Bellamy!" She's on him as soon as he turns, crashing her lips into his and nearly sending the both of them toppling to the ground. She forces herself to pull back after a moment, smiling brightly. "I have been wanting to do that for over a hundred years. And I…I love you too."

Bellamy beams, connecting their lips again in a lingering kiss, one hand resting on the small of Clarke's back to keep her close, the other tangling in her hair.

Octavia smiles as she leans back against the side of the house behind her and looks over at Gabriel. "Mission accomplished."

He smiles and nods. "Yes, it was. Better than we anticipated, too."

"Absolutely. Now, I don't know about you, but I really don't want to stay here and watch or listen to my brother make out with someone, so I'm gonna leave."

"Want some company?"

She shakes her head as she pushes off the house, careful not to make a sound. "Not this time, I've got plans, and you're not invited. But uh, thanks, by the way, for helping with everything."

"Happy to have been a part of history."

Octavia snorts. "Yeah, sure. Goodnight, Gabriel."

"Night, Octavia."

Stepping past him, she makes her way around the back of the house and toward the wooded area not far away to get to her own place. It's a little further out than most of the others, given that she still hasn't exactly figured out where she fits in this place yet. But she's fine with it for now, living on the outskirts. It's a bit more peaceful being away from the rush of everything.

Approaching the small, hastily put-together hut she calls home, Octavia doesn't even make it halfway toward the door before it's being ripped open, a beaming, excited smile shining back at her from the other side. She stops short and raises a single brow.

The smile falters. "Would it be weird if I said I've been at the window for hours waiting for you to get back?"

Octavia chuckles as she starts moving toward the hut again. "Only a little."

"Well, you wouldn't let me go with you."

"Madi," she warns gently as she finally steps inside, immediately turning around to face the girl.

Madi sighs. "I know. But I still don't think it's fair that I couldn't go. I helped you plan everything and make sure enough people were in on it so it would work."

"Yeah, and they almost pinned you as the prime suspect for who put the whole night together." She falls down onto the ratty couch against the far wall and lets out a breath, leaning her head back and closing her eyes. "You've gotta be better than that."

Madi huffs. "Okay, okay, fine. But can you please tell me what happened? Are they together? Did they kiss? Did they say that they love each other?"

"Whoa, hey, calm down." She cracks an eye open. "One question at a time."

Madi takes a deep breath. "Sorry."

"It's fine." She shifts on the couch and closes her eyes again. "It's just been a long night and I'm exhausted."

"Right, yeah, of course."

It's quiet for a moment and Octavia thinks it's almost too good to be true. Especially having a teenager still in the room.

"H-hey, Octavia?"

She sighs. "Yeah?"

"Can you please tell me what happened?"

Octavia waits for a solid minute before opening her eyes with a heavy sigh. "Alright. I guess you should know since you helped put it together." She gestures with her head and shifts to get more comfortable, waiting for Madi to join her. "I feel like I should warn you that tonight was mostly boring."

Madi shakes her head. "No. I don't want to know about just what happened tonight. I wanna know everything that's happened from the moment Clarke and Bellamy met. You were there for a lot of it, weren't you?"

"Portions of it, yeah. Mostly in the beginning before I started spending my time with the Grounders. There's definitely stuff I missed."

Madi shrugs. "That's okay." She leans back against the couch. "I still wanna hear it. Whatever you can tell me."

"If you're sure…" she trails off, already racking her brain to try and find the right words to explain Clarke and Bellamy's whole relationship from day one. She takes a deep breath and shifts again on the couch. "Alright. Well, I'm sure you know that Bellamy and Clarke are two of the smartest people out there. Hell, none of us would probably be here if it weren't for them. But when it comes to each other, and dealing with their feelings, they're idiots. Absolute idiots." She lets a small smile grace her lips. "It only took them over a hundred years to finally get it right."

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!