AN: Bit of smut towards the end of this one, if that's not your thing, you can just skip to the end ;)
As always, I don't own anything relating to The 100
-27-
Once the afterbirth is delivered, Abby helps Clarke clean up before removing all the towels from the bed and making it with the regular sheets again as Clarke watches from the chair in the corner. Once that's done, her mom helps her get back into bed, slightly propped up against the wall behind her with the comforter pulled up to her chest.
"I'll stay here tonight," Abby says when she straightens up. "Just in case you need anything."
Clarke's not sure if she's talking about her or the baby, but either way, she nods gratefully. "Thanks, Mom."
"Of course. I'll go let Bellamy know we're all done in here."
With that she leaves the room, and Clarke cuddles further into the bed, her eyes sliding closed of their own accord. It can't be more than a few minutes before the door opens again, but when it does, she has to fight to open them.
"Hey," she greets Bellamy as he stands in the doorway, their son wrapped in Emori's yellow blanket and cradled in his arms. It's definitely a sight to behold.
"Hey," he replies, voice hushed, coming into the room and sitting down on the bed next to her. "Jackson is going to fill the pack in, I told him to tell them they can stop by in the morning, one at a time… I guess we'll see how that goes. And your mom said she'll check if Madi's still awake and bring her back here if she is"
She nods. "Good. I tried to reassure her when she and Raven stopped by earlier, but I'm not sure I actually managed to, so it'll be good for her to see that everything went fine and that we're all doing OK."
He gives her a scrutinizing look. "Are you feeling OK?"
"I won't be running any marathons anytime soon," she tries to joke. "But I'm fine, honestly. I'll be sore for a while, but it'll pass. And look what we got out of it?"
Bellamy gazes down at the baby in his arms, a small smile on his lips. "That's true."
"OK, let's see if this little guy wants some more food before bed."
Clarke pushes the comforter down a little and he carefully transfers the baby to her arms. She gets him settled and he latches on, but again only for a few minutes. She knows it might take a while for him to really get the hang of nursing, but still…
"He'll figure it out," Bellamy assures her, stretching out next to her on the bed and leaning his head against her shoulder.
"I know." She rests her head against his, and they just stay there for a while, quietly watching their son.
"He has your eyes," Bellamy eventually says.
"Sorry to burst your bubble, but all newborns have blue eyes for a while," she replies. "Brown is dominant, so odds are they'll change eventually. He has your hair though, see? It's already curling a little."
He reaches out to brush a gentle finger over the baby's head. "It's so soft."
"Mm-hmm." Clarke is seriously fighting sleep at this point, but she wants to stay awake until her mom gets back so she knows if Madi will be here tonight or not.
"What do you think about his name?" Bellamy asks. "Do you think he's a Damon, or do you want to come up with something else?"
She takes a moment to consider it. "I think it fits," she finally decides. "But maybe give it a few days to sink in before we tell everyone else? Just to make sure."
He hums affirmatively. "Sounds good."
The sound of the front door opening and then closing reaches them at that moment, and Clarke shifts the baby slightly so she can pull the comforter up further. She's pretty sure most of their friends are going to see her breastfeed at some point in the next few months, but still.
The bedroom door opens a crack, and Madi peaks into the room. "Can I come in?" she asks, voice small.
"Of course," Bellamy tells her, getting up from the bed to offer her his spot.
The girl takes the few steps to the bed and carefully sits down, eyes wide and focused on the baby in Clarke's arms.
"He's so tiny."
Clarke can't help a chuckle at that. "He didn't feel tiny coming out, trust me."
"But you're OK?" Madi asks quietly.
"I'm fine, sweetheart. Just like I said."
"Good." Madi's quiet for a moment. "Can I touch him?"
"Of course. Just carefully."
She reaches out a tentative hand and places a finger lightly against the baby's cheek, to which he responds with a gurgle.
"See, he already knows his big sister," Bellamy says from behind Madi, and the smile on her face practically glows. Clarke meets his eyes over the girl's head and they exchange a smile.
Bellamy's been very careful to include Madi in every step of the pregnancy, insistent that she's part of their family but worried that she'll feel left out, and while Clarke hadn't thought that would change once the baby, their own flesh and blood, arrived, it's good to have that confirmed.
"I think it's about time we all call it a night," her mom's voice comes from the doorway, where she's leaning against the doorjamb. "I'm pretty sure someone will be ready for another feeding in a couple of hours."
Madi leans forward, pressing a feather light kiss to the baby's head, and even Clarke almost misses her whisper. "I love you."
"Sleep tight, sweetheart," she tells the girl as she gets up from the bed, squeezing her hand.
"Night, Clarke." She turns to Bellamy and, to Clarke's surprise, wraps her arms around his waist. "Night, Bellamy."
"Night, kiddo," he replies, hand curving against the back of her head for a moment. "Love you."
"Love you too."
Clarke can feel the tears rise in her eyes at this. She doesn't know if they've exchanged I love yous before, but she hasn't heard it herself, so it's a special moment.
Madi leaves the room with a final glance at Clarke and the baby, and Abby says her goodnights as well before closing the door behind them.
"Right, bedtime," Bellamy announces, leaning down to take the baby from her.
"For a few hours, at least," she replies, scooting down on the bed so she's completely horizontal and finally letting her eyes close.
When she hasn't felt Bellamy getting into bed next to her a few minutes later, she forces them open again to find him standing over the crib, the baby still in his arms and a look of amazement on his face.
"I thought you were going to put him down?"
"I am," he replies, though he makes no move to do so.
Clarke can't help the smile on her face. "He'll still be here in the morning. Or more likely in two or three hours, when he's hungry again."
"I know." He sighs, but does bend down to carefully place the baby in the crib, looking down at him for another long moment before crawling into bed next to her.
They've managed to stay close, physically, even during the last few months, but it still hasn't been the same as before. Now, though her belly still feels pregnant, it's softer with no baby inside, enough to allow her to snuggle closer to Bellamy instead of him curling around her back.
"Mmmm, I've missed this," she murmurs as she nuzzles her nose into the crook where his shoulder meets his neck. She feels his arm sneak under her to wrap around her back.
"Me too." His lips press against her hair for a long moment before he continues. "You were amazing today, Princess. I love you so much."
She hums. "Love you too. Not doing that again any time soon, though."
His chuckle is low, more of a rumble through his chest than actual sound. "God, no, give my nerves some time to recover."
"But you were so calm?"
"I was freaking out on the inside, trust me… now sleep."
She lets out a laugh that's really more of a whoosh of air, and then she's being pulled under.
They're woken by crying three times during the night, Bellamy getting up before Clarke's even fully awake to bring the baby to the bed so she can feed him without having to move.
The fourth time she wakes up, though, it's of her own accord and she's alone in the bedroom, light seeping in through the slightly cracked shutter.
She sits up gingerly, grimacing a little at the twinge the movement causes, and stretches carefully before getting up. Rummaging through their clothes chest, she pulls on a pair of Bellamy's sweatpants and one of his t-shirts – it'll still be a while before she fits into her own clothes again.
She pauses in the doorway, taking in the sight before her – Bellamy perched on the couch, baby nestled in one arm, a book in his other hand, reading out loud.
"I guess it's never too early to start educating him," she notes after a few minutes.
Bellamy's head snaps up and he frowns. "What are you doing up? You should be in bed!"
"Sorry?"
"You should be in bed, you had a baby not even twelve hours ago, you should be… recovering or something."
She can't help but chuckle at his indignation.
"I'm fine," she assures him, crossing the room and joining him on the couch, wincing a little as she sits down.
"So that didn't hurt, just sitting down?"
He's put the book down, so she takes his hand in hers and squeezes.
"Look, Bell, I am going to be a little sore for a while, OK? But I'm really fine, and I should be up and moving if it feels OK, which it does. I'm sure Mom would say the same."
The way he grumbles but looks away tells her that he's probably already asked Abby about it and just didn't like her response. Clarke scoots closer, leaning her head against his shoulder and offering the baby her pinkie, which he immediately wraps his tiny hand around.
"I know you're just worried and trying to take care of me," she continues. "And I love you for it. But please trust me. I promise I'll let you know if I need your help with anything, OK?"
He sighs. "I do trust you, of course I do. I just… it's like you said when we were talking about names, I'm not really contributing."
"That was just a joke! You have to stop thinking like that. OK, I've done most of the hard work so far, but you have been amazing support! And now he's here, so we're in this together. But, I mean, I'd be happy to give up diaper duty if you really want to feel helpful."
"Funny."
"I thought so. Seriously, though, anything baby-related that doesn't require the presence of my boobs – have at it."
That gets a laugh out of Bellamy, and she smiles at the sound.
"Did Madi and Mom leave for school and work already?" she asks a moment later, and he nods.
"There's breakfast on the counter, I figured you'd be hungry so I had your mom grab some food for us before she left."
The mention of food makes Clarke's stomach rumble.
"I'm starving," she notes, carefully pulling her pinkie out of the baby's grip and going over to the counter to grab the bowl of porridge – still lukewarm – and plate of fruit sitting there. She returns to the couch with her food. "How long have you been up?"
He glances out the window. "An hour, hour and a half, maybe? Your mom said I should let you sleep until this little guy wanted breakfast, so we've just been hanging out since she and Madi left a while ago."
"Thanks for that, I actually feel kind of rested."
Bellamy huffs. "I wouldn't get used to it."
She swallows the porridge she just spooned into her mouth before responding. "No, we'll be lucky if he keeps sleeping as much as he did last night. We'll just have to sleep in shifts during the days, at least until you need to go back to work."
"You know I can stay home with you guys as long as you want me to, right?" he says, squeezing her thigh. "They can get by without me for a while."
They haven't exactly decided how long either of them will be away from work. It's not like there's any childcare in the settlement yet, they – most likely Clarke, since she has the least physically demanding job – will have to bring the baby with them to work once he's a little older. Octavia has already helped them make a sort of sling that they can use to carry him in when the time comes.
"I know," Clarke assures him with a smile. "We'll play it by ear, OK? I don't want him in the med bay when he's too young, but I don't like feeling like I'm not contributing either… maybe we can switch work duties for a while? Kitchen or helping Raven and the others in the workshop…"
"We'll take it day by day," Bellamy agrees. "And nobody's going to hold it against us if we take a couple of months off, you know that."
"I know." She finishes the last of the porridge and takes a bite of the fruit. "You know, we might need to start thinking about some sort of childcare arrangement."
He huffs. "I think we need more than two kids for that to be efficient use of someone's time."
"True… maybe we can talk to Diyoza, make some sort of arrangement where one of us is home with both kids one day while the other two work, and then we switch?" she suggests. "After he's stopped nursing, of course, but might as well plan ahead."
"We'll talk to her."
The baby has been quiet so far, but now he scrounges his face up before letting out an annoyed wail.
"Right," Bellamy says. "I think this is one of those times when your boobs are required, since I changed his diaper just before you got up. Switch?"
He holds out his hand for her bowl, and Clarke hands it over and puts the plate of fruit down on the couch next to her before lifting the baby out of his arms. She settles a little better on the couch before pulling her shirt up and getting him situated at her breast.
"I'm going to need something else to wear," she notes absentmindedly as Bellamy crosses to the kitchen counter. "I can't keep pulling my shirt up to my neck every time he's hungry."
Bellamy's only response is a low chuckle, but he disappears into the bedroom and emerges a moment later, holding out a button up for her.
"This better?" he asks. "It has buttons, easier access, right?"
"That should work until I can fit into my own clothes again," she agrees.
He sits down next to her on the couch again, watching them both with a soft smile on his face. "Seems like he's gotten the hang of it." The last few words are said through a huge yawn.
"Why don't you go get some rest?" Clarke suggests. "I've got this, and he'll probably fall asleep once he's finished eating."
Bellamy gives her a frown. "You sure?"
"Go," she insists, nudging his knee with hers. "We have to get used to sleeping when we can, remember?"
"OK. But call me if you need me." He leans over for a kiss, pressing another to the baby's head before getting up and heading into the bedroom, pulling the door halfway closed behind him.
Clarke lets out a sigh and leans back on the couch. "We've got to make sure Daddy gets enough sleep, OK? I'm going to need your help with that." The baby doesn't reply, of course, still focused on his food, but he blinks at her. "I'll take that as a yes."
She's just burped the baby and changed into Bellamy's shirt with buttons when there's a quiet knock on the door.
"Right, it seems like the masses are starting to gather," she mumbles to herself as she moves to open the door, revealing Raven on the other side. "Morning, Raven."
Raven doesn't return the greeting – her eyes have widened and a smile is spreading on her face as she peers down at the baby. "Oh my God, he's adorable! Like a mini-Bellamy."
Clarke glances down at her son, who's fallen asleep in her arms, dark eyelashes shading his chubby cheeks and mouth pouting slightly. It's not like Raven's wrong, even if the only distinguishing characteristics right now are his dark hair that curls a little at the ends and a faint dusting of freckles over his nose and cheeks.
"Yeah, I think we already know who he's going to take after," she agrees. "Come on in."
She steps aside to let Raven into the cabin, closing the door behind her.
"Where's your other half?" the mechanic asks as she turns around. "I didn't think he'd leave your side for weeks after this, poor guy was a real wreck yesterday."
Clarke sits down on the couch again before answering. "He's asleep, so keep your voice down a little."
"Ah." Raven joins her on the couch. "Can I…?" She nods at the baby, and Clarke carefully transfers him to Raven's arms without waking him up. "Hi there, little man. Did you know that you're the luckiest kid in the whole world, huh? Cause you have the best parents ever. Yes, you do. And the coolest aunt, never forget that."
Clarke watches amusedly as Raven continues cooing at the baby. If she hadn't already seen the mechanic with Hope she would have been shocked.
"That's a good look on you," she notes after a while, giving her friend a crooked grin.
Raven immediately shakes her head. "Oh, no. Not for at least a couple of years."
"You're not ruling it out, though."
"Well, no." The mechanic shrugs. "I mean, we're supposed to be ensuring mankind's survival, populating this damn planet, can't really do that without kids."
"But do you want them?" Clarke pushes a little.
"I… I think so. I mean, I always assumed I'd have one, you know, but I haven't thought about it in so long… honestly, it's hard to imagine."
"I know what you mean…"
They're quiet for a moment, Raven's eyes intent on the sleeping baby, stroking his cheek with her index finger.
"So…" she eventually says. "How're you feeling today?"
"I'm fine," Clarke replies with a sigh. "And I already have Bellamy mothering me, I don't need you too."
Raven chuckles at that. "He just… he's not good at seeing the people he loves in pain, you know that. Give him a few days and I'm sure he'll be back to normal."
"Yeah, I know."
"I can't believe you guys have a kid. It's, like, so surreal."
"Tell me about it," Clarke replies. "I mean, you'd think the whole being pregnant for months and then pushing him out of me would make it real, but I still have a hard time believing it."
Raven winces. "Oh, yeah… how was that?"
Clarke thinks for a moment. "Intense. Painful, especially at the end, but it's hard to explain… you're so focused on what you need to do that the pain is sort of background noise… I can't even describe it."
"You'd consider doing it again?"
"Yeah." She doesn't even have to think about it. "I mean, not anytime soon, but, like you said…"
"In a couple of years," Raven says, nodding.
"Yeah. In a couple of years."
Bellamy wakes up just before Raven leaves, and after her, there's a steady stream of curious visitors the rest of the day.
-100-
They settle into a routine fairly quickly – Damon (they decide on their initial name suggestion after a couple of days) is a very happy baby, sleeping well and not fussing unless he's hungry or has a dirty diaper, which makes life easier.
Clarke's pretty sure that Bellamy realized she was joking about the diaper thing, but he still changes most of the diapers. During the night, she barely has time to wake up and realize that the baby's crying before he's out of bed and picking him up from the crib, and letting her sleep in the morning when he and Damon get up turns into something of a habit.
Damon's three weeks old the first time she wakes up to pale morning light and Bellamy still in bed with her, no sound but their breathing and the baby's quiet snuffling in the room. She lets out a content sigh and snuggles closer, burying her nose against Bellamy's neck.
"Morning, Princess," he mumbles, voice rough with sleep.
"Morning," she replies, pressing a kiss to his shoulder.
Needless to say, they haven't had much alone time since Damon's birth, both of them constantly tired and often sleeping one at a time on and off during the day, collapsing into bed at night and falling asleep instantly. She knows they can't have sex for another three weeks at least, and she's honestly not sure she'll be ready for it then either, but there are other things they can do…
She places another kiss in the spot just under Bellamy's jaw that she knows he loves as she trails her hand across his stomach, feeling the muscles flexing under her hand, but to her surprise and confusion, he tenses.
"I should get the baby," he says before pulling away from her and getting up, his back to her.
"He's still asleep," Clarke says, frowning. Bellamy doesn't respond, just crosses to the crib and bends down. She gets up too, stopping behind him and wrapping her arms around his waist. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," he insists, turning in her embrace and giving her a soft kiss.
She stands on her tip toes, pressing closer, feeling him hard against her stomach. Again, he freezes, trying to pull away.
"Hey, what is it?"
"You shouldn't have to worry about that stuff right now," he says, averting his eyes. "It's just… a natural reaction or whatever."
She finally understands what he means. "I'd kind of like to think that it's a me reaction," she replies, sliding a hand between them to rub him through his sweatpants.
Bellamy groans, eyes slipping closed. "Still, you don't have to worry about it. You just had a baby."
"I think three weeks is pushing the concept of just a tiny bit," she argues, pressing a kiss to his bare chest, letting her tongue dart out to taste him. "And what if I want to… worry about it?"
"Clarke…" he drags her name out but doesn't pull away again as she slips her hand into his pants, wrapping around him.
"Come on, the baby's asleep, this is the first time we've had to ourselves in weeks…"
"I thought your mom said at least six weeks because of the risk of infection," he reminds her, voice hitching slightly.
"Well, yeah," she agrees, running her thumb over the head of his dick. "For actual intercourse, but there are… other things we can do in the meantime."
He still looks slightly hesitant, but she gets him back in bed, and once she pulls him into her mouth, there are no more complaints.
After she gets him off, he pulls her shirt over her head, getting his mouth on her breasts and rubbing gentle circles against her clit through her panties until she's panting and has to bury her face in the pillow as she climaxes, to avoid crying out and waking the baby.
They do find more time for each other after that, usually in the evening after Madi's gone to bed and Damon's fallen asleep in his crib. There's a lot of play with hands and mouths, but as the weeks pass, Clarke starts to think she might be ready to get back in the saddle in a more definitive way.
Her mom inserted a new contraceptive implant a few days after the birth, so there's nothing to worry about on that end, but Clarke kind of wants the kids out of the house so they can really enjoy themselves. And sleep for more than a few hours at a time. But mostly have sex.
"Hey, Mom, you think you and Marcus would like taking Damon overnight sometime?" she asks one day when the baby is around three months old.
Abby glances at her over the kitchen table where she's giving Damon a check-up. "Of course, honey, we'd love that. Any day in particular you were thinking about?"
"Maybe Saturday? Madi asked if she could stay with Eila…"
"Ah." Abby wraps the examination up, getting Damon dressed again and placing him on a blanket on the floor. "You two need some alone time?"
Clarke refuses to blush – her mom delivered their son, she knows they have sex. "Yeah. We've been… getting back into the swing of things over the last few weeks, but there's still that final hurdle left. I think it'll take some pressure off if the kids are out of the house and we don't have to worry about being interrupted."
"Of course. And are you feeling OK with that? Because you should take your time, don't let Bellamy push you into something you're not ready for yet."
"No, Mom." Clarke shakes her head. "If anything, I'm the one doing the pushing. He doesn't even know I'm talking to you."
Abby gives her a scrutinizing look for a moment. "Well, if you're sure, of course we'll take the baby."
Since Clarke's not entirely sure how Bellamy will react to Damon spending the night at his grandparents' – they've had him for a few hours at a time so far, but this is still a big step – she doesn't actually tell him until they're leaving the mess on Saturday night and she turns left, towards her mom's and Marcus' cabin, instead of right, towards home.
"Where are we going?" Bellamy asks as he follows her.
"Well, since Madi's staying with Eila tonight, I asked Mom if she and Marcus would take Damon for the night."
He's quiet for a moment, so long that she starts worrying that he's mad she didn't bring it up with him before.
"So we'll have the house to ourselves all night?" he finally says.
"Yup."
He slides a hand around her waist, pulling her closer. "Good thinking."
They drop off the baby and all the stuff that goes with him without incident – he loves his Grandma and Grandpa Marcus – and Abby promises to let them know if anything happens, which she assures them it won't. Raven used bits and bobs from the ship to fashion a scary looking contraption that works pretty well as a breast pump, and while Clarke doesn't exactly enjoy using it, she will if she has to, so they won't have to worry about getting woken up for feedings either.
As soon as the door closes behind Abby and the baby, Bellamy's pulling Clarke along towards their cabin, making her laugh.
"Slow down," she tells him. "Don't want to trip over something and break a leg on the way, I've got big plans for tonight."
She's pushed up against the wall before the door fully closes behind them, Bellamy's lips covering hers in a demanding kiss, his hands trailing under her shirt, pulling it up as he goes.
"Eager, are we?" Clarke chuckles as he trails kisses down her throat before pulling her shirt over her head.
"You're not?" he retorts, getting rid of his own shirt as well. "We have the whole house to ourselves…"
She doesn't have a chance to respond before he pulls a nipple into his mouth, slipping a hand into her pants and finding her clit. She's falling apart within minutes.
"Bed," she pants as she comes back down, pushing against Bellamy's chest to get him to move.
She works on her own pants as they cross to the bedroom, dropping them to the floor just inside the door and pulling him closer by the waistband of his pants, working the button with one hand while wrapping an arm around his neck to pull him down for a kiss.
Once his pants have joined hers on the floor, they tumble into bed, Clarke ending up on her back with him hovering over her.
He's gone down on her a few times in the last couple of weeks, his tongue just tracing her folds, but that's as far as they've gone since Damon's birth. Bellamy seems to have the same idea now, placing open-mouthed kisses against her chest before trailing lower, but Clarke pulls him back up.
"What's wrong?" he asks breathlessly, holding himself up on one elbow.
She doesn't answer, instead grabbing his hand and placing it between her legs, his index finger just nudging her entrance. Bellamy's eyes widen.
"You sure?"
When she nods, he slowly slides his finger into her, and Clarke arches her back at the feeling of having a part of him inside her again – finally.
"OK?" he mumbles against her throat.
"Mmmm, good," she replies, meeting the slide of his finger with a lift of her hips. "More."
Bellamy chuckles. "Let's take things slow, yeah?"
She knows he's right, but damn it, she wants him inside her now.
He works her up slowly, adding another finger after a while, and she can't hold back her moan at the feeling. She reaches out to wrap her hand around him, starting a slow pace that matches the movement of his fingers, and he groans into her neck.
"Your mom got you another implant, right?" he gets out through gritted teeth as she lets her thumb circle the head of his dick.
"Uh-huh, we're all good."
"Thank God."
He pulls his fingers out of her before moving so he's kneeling between her legs, positioning himself at her entrance and slowly pushing inside. Their eyes remain locked the entire time, him probably wanting to make sure he's not hurting her in any way and Clarke searching for any hints that it doesn't feel the same as before she had the baby. She's been doing the exercises her mom recommended, and Abby assured her that things were back to normal down there during her last check-up, but that's one thing – feeling is another.
Once Bellamy's fully buried inside her, he lets out a ragged breath and his eyes slide close. "God, you feel so good."
She lets out a relieved sigh, wrapping an arm around his neck and pulling him down so she can kiss him.
He happily obliges, resting his weight on his elbows and kissing her deeply before pulling out and pushing back in.
"I've missed this," he whispers against her lips. "I love watching your face when I fuck you, seeing exactly what I do to you."
He punctuates his sentence with a stronger thrust, changing the angle slightly.
"Oh, fuck," she pants as it sends shivers through her. "Keep doing that."
It's not long before they're tumbling over the edge together, Bellamy rolling them so he's on his back with her on his chest as they come back down.
"We're not done yet," Clarke tells him as her heartbeat slowly returns to normal.
"Definitely not," he agrees. "Give me thirty minutes."
They're asleep within ten.