Chapter 5
Octavia is the one who mentions it, planting the seed in Bellamy's head to think over before discussing it with Clarke. He has to admit, it's not a bad idea, something that would help them and protect the children who didn't exactly have a fighting chance.
"I think we should talk to the village Julius is from," he was sitting at the foot of the cot, chewing on his bottom lip as he unlaced his boots. Clarke was feeding Julius, sitting on the lone chair in her tent in front of her desk, her ice blue eyes glancing up from the infant's face to take in Bellamy.
"Why?" her brows furrowed in confusion as she watched him finally look at her. He exhaled a breath, running his fingers through his unruly curls before he pushed to his bare feet and began pacing the length of her tent.
"For one, I think it would build a better relationship with the grounders, which you have to admit would be great if we actually want to get started on building those cabins. And Lincoln said they keep the girls but leave the boys to nature, I... I don't think that's right. I want there to be another option for these kids that didn't have a choice but to be born. We could offer them something in exchange for taking in the boys, it would save them," He stated quietly, knowing how late it was and not wanting the rest of the camp to know just what he was planning yet.
"What could we possibly offer them?" Clarke bit out, her eyes narrowed in frustration as she thought over Bellamy's words.
"Medical knowledge. Lincoln said they were a clan of warriors. They must injure themselves a lot, and from what I've heard at other villages, our methods are more efficient then theirs. We could trade medical knowledge and training in exchange for the infants they don't want," He replied, sitting on the edge of the cot again and facing Clarke, silently pleading with her to consider what he was suggesting.
"Bellamy..." she paused, glancing down at Julius's sleeping face as he finally released her, full and content as he dozed off.
"We'll talk to Lincoln in the morning about setting up a meeting. It gives us some time to actually think about what we could possibly offer them, and to decide if this is something we really want to do," Clarke finally sighed, pushing to her feet as she adjusted her hold on Julius, only for Bellamy to do the same, reaching for the infant with a small smile on his lips.
"I'll take him so you can get changed," he whispered, shifting the infant he considered his son into his arms as Clarke slowly nodded.
He could tell she was exhausted and decided tomorrow morning he would check on the two projects Raven and Miller had been working on with him, with the help of Lincoln. He glanced over his shoulder, watching as Clarke pulled her own shirt over her head and unclasped her bra before reaching for one of his spares that she liked to sleep in. He couldn't keep the small smile off his lips as she pulled it over her head and shimmied out of her leggings before crawling onto her cot and reaching for Julius.
"You're turn to get ready for bed," she whispered as Bellamy passed her the baby, watching as he nuzzled closer to Clarke chest and she kissed the top of his head.
"Good night Little Guy," she whispered before closing her eyes and Bellamy pulled his shirt over his head and dropped his cargo pants before climbing on the cot in just his boxer briefs.
"Clarke, I think we need to talk," Finn's voice drifted through the early morning, forcing both Clarke and Bellamy to stir. He groaned, tightening his grip on her waist and pulling her closer to his chest. Clarke felt Bellamy nuzzle the back of her neck, his warm breath stirring the hair there. Her muscles remained loose as she relaxed into his hold, used to waking up in such a position with Julius resting beside her, his face nuzzling against the skin of her collar bone.
"Clarke," Finn called again, finally pushing the tent flap open and taking in the sight he wasn't expecting. He saw Bellamy's bare back, him holding Clarke closely, and Clarke still fast asleep. He knew they slept in the same tent, and he knew how Bellamy felt about Clarke, however he wasn't expecting to see them sharing a cot. He wasn't expecting to see Bellamy wrapped around Clarke as if he was shielding her body from anyone who would walk into her tent like him. Slowly, he took a step back, allowing the tent flap to fall back as he turned on his heel, only to run into Octavia and Lincoln.
"We told you to leave her alone, Finn," Octavia's voice was barely a growl and Lincoln placed a large hand on her shoulder to stop her from lunging at the other man.
"O, Bellamy will be upset if you get into a fight so early in the morning and in front of Clarke's tent. You know how worried he's been about her not getting enough sleep. Perhaps we should make them both a plate of breakfast before you decide to kill this boy," Lincoln's quiet voice filled the air and Finn could only look to him with a grateful smile, and allow it to slip off his face at the distasteful look that colored the other man's features.
"Fine, you're right. He's always in a better mood after he's eaten," Octavia agreed, allowing Lincoln to lead her towards the cooking fires and away from Finn. He watched the Grounder lead the willful brunette to the mess hall, one of the few buildings they had built before last winter and turned his attention back to the tent. Inhaling a breath, he turned on his heel and made his way towards Raven's tent, deciding he needed to talk to her, and hoping she wouldn't turn him away.
"Oh Bell," Octavia called as she and Lincoln made their way back towards Clarke tent, skipping as she held one of the plates they had made for the two. Lincoln wore a soft smile as he followed the brunette, happy that she was in such a great mood.
"I believe he might still be sleeping, O," Lincoln offered when no sound came from the tent.
"Well to bad. If we have to wake up at the crack of dawn, so does my lazy," she trailed off as she pushed the tent flap open and took in the sight that greeted her. She knew about Bellamy's feelings, had been the one to point them out to him, but she wasn't expecting to see her usually strong, stubborn brother sitting against the head of the cot with Clarke's head resting on his thigh and Julius on his chest.
"Could you keep it down O?" he spoke softly, his voice just a rumble that told Octavia he had just woken up, most likely because of the little guy on his chest. Her hazel eyes widened at the sight, watching as Clarke moved her hand from her hip to across Bellamy's lap, her fingers curling against his opposite thigh.
"How often does this happen Big Brother?" she whispered as she and Lincoln stepped into the tent and set the plates of food on the desk. Bellamy shrugged his shoulders, his amber eyes drifting to the sleeping blonde.
"A bit. She's been over tired and exhausted the last week since her fainting spell. I usually just stay like this with her so she can sleep a little more," he answered, eyes lifting to watch his sister nod her head in understanding.
"Abby radioed Raven earlier today. She and Kane are making the hike back from the Ark. She mentioned wanting to talk to you and Clarke about something with the Grounders treaty they were reviewing," O explained, watching with a smirk as her brother groaned.
"Great. She's going to be exhausted, stressed, and annoyed," he grumbled, lifting his free hand to run through her golden curls for a moment.
"I never thought I would see the day you were so... domesticated Big Brother" Octavia teased lightly, watching Bellamy huff before he narrowed his eyes towards her.
"Yeah well, raising a kid right takes two people, but if anyone could have done it alone it's our Brave Princess. I just... I didn't want her to have to do that alone," Bellamy whispered, his gaze softening as it dropped to Clarke's slumbering face.
"You are a good man Big Brother, and if Abby fucking Griffin thinks you're not good enough for her daughter, well fuck her," Octavia stated heatedly, her gaze narrowing slightly until Lincoln dropped a hand to her shoulder to soothe her.
"How long until they get here?" he questioned instead of responding, lifting his eyes to his sister once more who grimaced slightly at his question.
"A couple hours at least. She sounded as if she left in the early hours of the morning so they would get here sooner," she replied. Bellamy released a quiet curse before nodding his head.
"Alright. I'll wake Clarke up and after we settle Julius we'll meet by the gate to greet them, it shouldn't be that bad right? You think you can handle Julius for an hour or two?" he questioned, watching the nervous expression on his sister's face.
"No, he's staying with me," Clarke mumbled, and Bellamy could only offer a soft smile at her sleep talking.
"She's still afraid someone might take him from her, she doesn't really know what she's saying," he explained when O looked towards Clarke, afraid she was telling her she couldn't watch the baby she considered her nephew.
"She sleep talks?" Octavia questioned with a giggle coloring her voice. Bellamy only shrugged, running his large hand over Clarke's exposed arm that was across his lap.
"Usually its mumbling I can't make out. But every once in a while it has something to do with Julius. Anyway, we'll come find you once we're ready," he changed the subject. Octavia only smirked before turning on her heel and pulling Lincoln out of the tent behind her.
The process of waking Clarke was an art form Bellamy had perfected in the early weeks of sharing her tent. She groaned and mumbled, swatting his insistent hand away before rolling over and pushing herself into a seated position, reaching for Julius to feed him so he could dress.
"Your Mother and Kane should be here in an hour or two," He informed her as she pulled his spare shirt over her head and he stepped into his cargo pants. His eyes never left her bare back, watching the way her muscles tensed at his words before she glanced over her shoulder to meet his steady amber gaze.
"Why?" the one word was whispered quietly, the confusion evident in her tone.
"Something about the Grounders treaty and wanting to talk to you about something," he explained with a shrug, trying to come off as relaxed but he knew Clarke saw right through that act.
"Great, Octavia willingly to watch Jules for a bit?" she questioned, and Bellamy couldn't keep the smirk off his lips as he nodded his head.
"What's with that look?" she asked after a moment, glancing towards him and seeing his expression.
"You sleep talk. I told O about watching Julius earlier when she dropped off the food and the information about your mother, and you kind of said no he was staying with you. She thought you were awake and were telling her no," Clarke's mouth parted, her eyes widening as she groaned.
"Now I need to go apologize to her," she mumbled, shaking her head before turning her attention back towards Julius who was finished with his breakfast. Bellamy had just pulled on his boot before he reached for the infant, turning his back quickly from Clarke so she could dress in peace.
"Are you prepared to face your mother again?" he questioned, rubbing circles on Julius's back and waiting for him to work the burp out of his system.
"Never, but it's something we have to do I guess," she replied lazily and moved until she was in front of him, taking her son so he could pull on a shirt finally. Bellamy only grinned as he followed her out of the tent and made their way towards Octavia and the gate.
A/N: Chapter 5! So I lied. Maybe seven chapters, ten would be the most. I originally planned for this to only be three chapters, five at the most. But it stretched out. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Let me know what you thought!