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It was an average spring night in the southeast of Sanctum, in an oversized but cramped city called Polis. Distant echoes of sirens disappeared into the rain just as quickly as they’d arrived, overpowering the sound of voices in the alley in brief spurts. A Thursday night meant that the market was in a lull before its weekend crowd but on the up from an even quieter middle of the week. The jungle of towering buildings over the alleyway was just chaotic enough to provide moments of reprieve from the heavy rainfall. But while picking up groceries, dinner to go, or a new gadget wasn’t the end of the world in this shitty weather, detouring to a bar wasn’t as compelling of an idea in this weather.
So it was an even slower Thursday night at Eden than usual.
Clarke Griffin normally wouldn’t have minded.
Owning a bar meant that she needed the busier nights to offset her slower ones, as rare as they were, to keep herself going. It was hard to deny the pleasure in these more relaxing nights. Time to catch up on the finances and business side of things that she didn’t always pay attention to. She’d be able to listen to the hum of noise from outside, have a casual conversation with the old woman who always came and sat in the back of the bar, furiously typing away on her rusted tablet. One of these days she’d get her to open up to her .
She could spend some extra time cleaning it up, fixing the flickering fluorescent bulbs and maybe springing for a few extra comps to get her jukebox fixed (or finding a way to bribe Raven to stop by). Eden was old and even though she’d owned her for a couple years, the building still needed some love and care to get her shining again. It was a task that Clarke embraced whole-heartedly.
Tonight though, she was busy dodging the sadly common advances of one Finn Collins. Cocky ass pilot .
He was going on about something from his latest flight, she wasn’t sure exactly. Something about racing past the Anomaly –– something she hadn’t really heard of people doing since high school when they had someone’s old run-down Spinner and nothing to do on a Saturday night. Clarke didn’t really ever listen to his stories. Tonight she was focused on fixing the pipes underneath the sink, letting Finn wax on while he falsely imagined that she was hanging onto every word and occasionally letting out an affirmative hum.
Whatever, her bar was more important.
“Don’t you think?”
Whoops, looks like she was a better actress than she gave herself credit for.
His question broke through her internal rant and Clarke nearly slammed her head into the metal above her as she pulled back.
“I’m sorry, can you repeat the question?” She asked guiltily, rubbing her grease covered hands on her apron. Finn frowned, apparently picking up at least a hint that she hadn’t been listening to him. Which to be honest, she had a hard time completely feeling bad about.
It wasn’t that she didn’t know how to handle Finn. Most of the time it was pretty easy to ignore him with the bustle of the bar and Lincoln, her usual bouncer, just on the periphery. Plus as the owner, she didn’t usually have to stay in one place for too long at a time, able to float between patrons and the bar and her office. Cursory glances over everything and greeting regulars.
But Lincoln was on his honeymoon right now, so not only was she out of a bouncer, she was missing her main bartender as well. Octavia and Lincoln had instantly fallen for each other when they’d met, though Clarke had appreciated their attempt at a charade of indifference at first so as not to disrupt their workflow. But it was too difficult for them to stay apart, and once Clarke was tired of Lincoln talking to her about it, she urged the two together.
It was something she stood by, up until tonight when she crossily wished that they hadn’t bothered with the honeymoon and were still here to shield her from pilots who couldn’t take a hint.
She was fine though, she told herself as she scrambled to come up with a response to Finn’s question. She was a grown woman who could handle one sappy guy.
He really couldn’t take a hint though.
He let her finish wiping her hands on the towel shoved into her back pocket before he made another move.
“I’ve got another trip planned out to Balrone next week,” he said flashing a smile at her. “I know they’ve got some of the best shopping in the solar system. Would love to take you with me, give you the grand tour.”
Clarke hummed in disinterest.
Finn, clearly not paying attention (or choosing not to), stood up so that he could swing himself around the edge of the bar.
“You’d love it there. So much brighter than Sanctum, the people are friendlier there too. A girl like you shouldn’t be cooped up in a place like this all of the time. I mean, not that you haven’t done a great job with Eden. But Sanctum is just so run down, let alone Polis. There are whole galaxies out there, sweetheart.”
“And you’re what? My knight in shining armor?” Clarke couldn’t help snapping back. Her skin crawled at the unwelcome nickname.
“If you want to think of it that way,” he replied with a grin, edging himself closer to the opening of the bar and almost blocking her way out.
She wasn't sure what she would have done if she hadn’t heard the door slam open, both her and Finn’s heads swiveling to see who had come in.
It took her a moment to grasp the situation and who had walked in.
Bellamy had managed to grow even more than he looked in the small photo that Octavia kept in the back office. He had a beard now, which was unexpected, and had filled out from the somewhat lankier guy that had popped up in photos. She tried to not take in too much how he filled out the roughened leather jacket that he was wearing and instead tried to compose herself as he walked closer, his dark eyes sharply taking in the scene in front of him. They’d never officially spoken but this was an out and holy shit, she was going to take it.
“Babe! You’re finally home!” She choked out, hoping that she sounded as confident as she needed to. She shot him a desperate smile and subtly jerked her head towards a now very confused Finn.
As smart as Octavia had always bragged about, he immediately picked up on what was going on. A smile broke across his serious face and he hoisted himself over the bar onto the other side next to Clarke. The move was so smooth and controlled, it almost made Clarke believe he’d done it a thousand times to greet her.
She’d very much underestimated the size of him when he’d walk in, now that she was up next to him she realized how much space he took up. She couldn’t even help herself as she already leaned in towards him.
He leaned down and planted a kiss on her forehead, sliding his arm around her waist and pulling her close to him.
The heat radiating from him, even as she felt some of the rain water sliding off of his jacket, was overwhelming. He smelled like metal and smoke, with a hint of something that she couldn’t place her finger on. Something earthy or spice-like. It didn’t take much convincing for her to bury her face in his neck to pull off the relieved girlfriend.
Bellamy seemingly knew exactly what to do as well, because once they pulled apart he casually held his hand out to shake Finn’s with a, “I’m Bellamy Blake, Clarke’s boyfriend. Who are you?”
Finn shook his hand and introduced himself, his eyes narrowed and clearly doing his best to not look too flustered. As he observed them, Clarke did her best to stay glued to Bellamy’s side, a hand resting on his chest. She couldn’t remember the last time she had done this. Lexa had been extremely against any form of PDA after so long in the military. Niylah had just been a fling so their touching had remained on the dance floors of their favorite clubs, tucked deep away in Sanctum.
But she had to sell this and Finn had already shown that he wasn’t good at picking up clues. So over-the-top it was going to have to be.
“I haven’t seen you around, or even really heard much about you,” Finn said warily, though looking certainly more defeated.
“We prefer to keep our relationship private, you know how it is. It’s the early days and the less people talk about it, the better for us,” Bellamy said, leveling his gaze at Finn.
“He’s been traveling,” Clarke added, leaning up to smile at him. “I miss him too much so it’s better to just distract myself and not talk about him.”
She kept the smile plastered on her face while she wracked her brain for any details about Bellamy that Octavia had ever told her about her older brother. Protective and stubborn. A nerd in all accounts (though wow, he did not look like one). Raised her until she was able to be completely independent, before then looking after his own goals much later in life than most. It wasn’t the most uncommon story in Sanctum, though the two siblings had certainly made it out better than most.
The idea of traveling perked Finn up though and luckily for Clarke, he aimed his inquiries at Bellamy instead of her.
“Where have you been? I’m a fighter pilot in the Arkadia Angels, so I’m able to pretty much just go wherever I want on my off days.”
The attempt at bravado by slipping in the pilot comment wasn’t lost on Bellamy, who just simply smiled.
“I actually just got back from Earth.”
Clarke did everything she can to school her expression into one of admiration and recognition, not letting it become obvious that she had no idea. Earth? He had been on fucking Earth? That explained the scent she couldn’t place. Sanctum had been so long run by machines, grit and grime that the stories of Earth seemed almost as alien as the new planets that humanity found themselves spread across.
People didn’t just go back to Earth for a leisure trip though. Not with the levels of radiation that still cloaked it. That required years of training and protection that the average planet hopper couldn’t afford and for those who could, it wasn’t a destination that was popular to visit. She was in awe of the man she’d only talked to for not-even five minutes and had her arms wrapped around.
Finn hadn’t hid his surprise as well as she had, his jaw slack and eyes wide.
“I’m part of a team that does excavations there. We’re studying how humans used to live there, as well as bringing back any technology that we can find that is still intact enough to be studied. There’s a lot we don’t know yet. I was gone for three years this time, that’s probably why we haven’t met,” Bellamy continued smoothly.
From there it was hard for Finn to bring himself to stay. After all, it had the illusion of him intruding on a couple who hadn’t seen each other in a year. So after stumbling through some questions about the current state of Earth, he eventually gave them a wave and headed back into the night.
Bellamy, who had been casually playing with her hair, let out a soft chuckle into it before slowly pulling away from her. He didn’t seem to be in a rush though and Clarke found herself already wanting to be close to him again. She loved having her hair played with and she watched with irrational sadness as the long blonde strands fell from his fingers.
“How about I help clean up?”
“I’m the one that roped you into pretending to be my boyfriend without ever having spoken to you, that feels unfair of me,” Clarke countered, crossing her arms across her chest. She told herself that she was imagining the flick of his eyes downwards at the motion .
He shrugged, already taking off his jacket and dropping it onto one of the bar stools.
“I’d love to know the context for tonight, this whole Finn guy and why you need me to be your boyfriend. Also you can tell me how Octavia has been, without her here to interrupt and brush things off. I’ve worked in a bar before Princess,” he said as he caught her unconvinced stare. She nearly burst out laughing at the nickname. “I won’t break anything, don’t worry.”
So Clarke sighed and let him stay to help cleanup.
“Tell me about Space Walker,” Bellamy prompts as they begin to wash out the small handful of empty glasses.
Clarke snorted. “Space Walker?”
He laughed, shaking his curls out.
“That’s just what people at my organization call the Arkadia Angels. They’re fighter pilots sure, but they’re all just in it for the thrill. Doing dumb shit because they think it’ll impress people.” He gave her a sidelong glance. “I’m guessing it didn’t work on you?”
Shaking her head slowly, Clarke passed a soapy glass over to him.
“Maybe years ago it would have. But now I just see the immaturity of it all, I see the streaks of impulsiveness that might seem attractive but are so deeply rooted in them that it’s how they approach life. Anyone who’s ready to blast themselves through the Anomaly for a laugh isn’t someone I could be with,” she explained. “Plus, Sanctum isn’t exactly known for their members of the military having much integrity. Not really a winning aspect for me.”
It was the truth. Teenage her would have probably been swept off her feet if a young, floppy haired Finn had paid attention to her. But as she had grown more into herself, so had her taste in partners. Space Walkers weren’t cutting it anymore.
Bellamy nodded sympathetically as she spoke before weighing in.
“I remember when I was younger I was tempted to join them. They recruit poorer kids mainly, trying to get those who are reckless and willing to do anything for extra comps. I lucked out that I was offered a position to travel and do research instead. It was pure luck, like most things in life. Choosing history over flight probably has saved my life, and Octavia’s, more than I can count,” he added with a laugh.
“You wanted to check in on her?” Clarke broached the subject cautiously. It didn’t help being an only child, but she still couldn’t understand Octavia’s relationship with her brother after all of this.
She was having a difficult time placing the man of O’s stories together with the one standing next to her.
Bellamy coughed awkwardly.
“There’s only so much of a relationship you can foster over intercoms. I’m sure you know our story,” Clarke nodded so he continued , “so it’s difficult to really find that healthy balance. There was so much whiplash when I started going on excavations. All O knew growing up was an overbearing brother, and then suddenly I was gone. I left her behind and even though it was for my own dreams, and she was older, it felt like I had abandoned her.”
They’d finished the dishes and with an absent-minded wave to the retreating back of Indra, her last customer, Clarke leaned against the side of her counter and focused on Bellamy. He anxiously ran a hand through his beard before continuing.
“I know we’ve moved past it. I honestly think working here has helped mellow her out. Lincoln too, though I haven’t said as much to her yet. We’re learning how to be actual people to each other, not being each other’s responsibility anymore. It’s… harder than I’d like.”
Clarke gave him a half-smile in reassurance.
“Well, for what it’s worth as an outsider, I think you’re doing a good job. She really does love you and sometimes family is –– not as easy as we’re told it should be.”
“That sounds like there’s a personal story there,” Bellamy teased gently, his expression open.
Giving him a wink, Clarke shook her head.
“You’d have to take me on a second date to unlock that one.”
He let out a bark of a laugh at that, throwing his head back and Clarke felt a thrum of feeling pleased with herself course through her. She liked Bellamy’s laugh and she very much would like to keep it happening.
“I wasn’t aware this was our first date already. Are you saying you need another round of the fake boyfriend? I think I was pretty good at it,” he bragged.
“Don’t get too cocky. But uh, actually if you don’t mind coming back tomorrow night since he usually comes on Fridays too…” she trailed off and didn’t try to hard to not pout.
She was desperate okay? It had absolutely nothing to do with how good looking, or friendly, he was and that she wanted to get to know him more.
“I think I can manage that. Especially since I didn’t realize until I got back to Sanctum that I had mistimed Octavia’s honeymoon ending, so I don’t have any plans. I’m all yours, Princess. You’ve got yourself a whole weekend of boyfriend status.”
Clarke found herself smiling widely up at him as they fell into a conversation about the upgrades she wanted to give Eden in the next year. He actively listened to her plans, asking questions that showed he was truly processing what she was saying. She meant to ask him more about Earth, but he kept letting her talk about herself in ways she felt like she hadn’t opened up in ages. It felt like she moving into dangerous territory. Brother of her coworker and friend, someone she had only ever known through stories.
Someone she was currently fake dating with absolutely zero plan or strings attached.
But as he pressed his hand to the small of her back as they wanted for a hover cab after she locked up, the warmth of him cutting the chill of the midnight rain, she found herself not caring about the risks. This was going to be one interesting weekend.
Clarke should have probably been startled at how easily Bellamy slipped into her life in a span of less than twenty-four hours.
After he’d helped get her a cab to get home, having already helped her close up Eden, she’d been somehow still surprised when she’d heard a soft ping on her com when she got home. Pulling it out of her bookbag, the sleek glass panel lighting upon facial recognition, she watched as a message from an unknown number popped up and said that he hoped she had gotten home safely and that he’d see her tomorrow.
Followed by a quick apology that he’d paired their coms at one point that evening since he figured it would seem odd, or make things difficult, if they couldn’t get in touch with each other.
Smiling to herself, Clarke quickly recorded her response as she gave her cat a couple extra treats and climbed into bed.
The next morning had been very much the same.
She’d slept in as usual, waking up to the sun filtering through the wall-length square window beside her bed. If she rolled onto her side, she’d be able to see the tops of other various apartment buildings around her with a handful shooting past hers. It had been five years since she moved into her one-bedroom place though, so instead she simply pulled herself out of bed to attend to the yowling of her orange tabby.
Her normal morning of scrolling through the news was delayed by a casual message from Bellamy, apologizing for the early hour, asking when she opened up Eden, and if there was a specific time he wanted her there tonight.
Clarke grinned over her thermos of coffee.
Of course he was a morning person.
She sort of wished he had sent a video call instead, she imagined he had perfect bedhead.
Trying to not let that image distract her (Gods woman, get a grip you just met him), she quickly sent back a response.
Clarke:
You didn’t wake me don’t worry. Pretty sure I could sleep through a rocket landing on top of my building
Bellamy:
that seems dangerous and like a hazard to your health
you also didn’t answer my questions
Clarke:
I usually get there around 4, you’re free to come over whenever
it might just be boring for a bit so bring something to entertain yourself
Bellamy:
you mean I can’t just stare at you the whole time Princess?
The response came faster that time and Clarke felt a blush tinge her cheeks as she stared down at the screen. The words were illuminated up at her and she immediately was thankful that they weren’t doing a video call. She wouldn’t have been able to handle hearing him say that in person.
It also sounded suspiciously like flirting, which it was much too early for without her overthinking it. Sure, it might help sell this help sell it all to Finn. But falling for someone while using them as a way to get rid of someone, while also barely knowing them, felt too weird to her. But it was hard to fight that feeling as they transitioned into general chatting throughout the day. Clarke turned on the com’s so that she could hear his responses out loud before recording her own, but desperately wished that she could hear his deep voice instead of the clipped, robotic voice of the AI that read them.
Hours moved quickly and eventually she was back outside of Eden. The better weather meant it was definitely going to be a busier night and the last, for which she was thankful for. Yesterday it would have meant not worrying about Finn as much. Tonight it meant not getting too caught up in her increasing feelings for Bellamy.
As if conjured by her thoughts though, she barely had settled into the bar when she heard the engine of a motorcycle turn off at the door and the man in question appeared.
“I hope I’m not too early,” he said with a wry grin.
“Not at all, I just got here. I don’t really have anything for you to do at the moment, but you’re more than welcome to hang out,” Clarke nodded towards the couple of barstools that she had already pulled down.
“I can review my notes until you need me.” Bellamy’s mock salute made her roll her eyes but she couldn’t help smiling all the same.
“Plus, we can also make sure we have a backstory figured out.”
“Backstory?”
Bellamy nodded, situating himself at the bar.
“Yeah. I mean, the way Finn looked at me last night I doubt he wants to say more than five words to me. But you have to plan this sort of stuff. We don’t want anyone asking questions and having us stumble over our story. Finn would take it and run with it,” he explained.
Well, when he put it like that it certainly made sense.
“Obviously it was love at first sight,” Bellamy said teasingly and Clarke scoffed at it, while also attempting to hide the concept that it was probably the most accurate explanation.
“Whatever, Blake. We’ll figure that out as we go.”
“It’s a great idea and you know it Princess.”
That earned him a quick elbow to the side which he smoothly dodged, much to her annoyance.
“We can’t use the bar as where we met,” Clarke declared, hoisting herself up onto the countertop next to Bellamy. “It’s too cliche, and on the nose since that’s where Finn first saw us. Just feels too coincidental.”
He hummed in agreement, tapping his fingers to his chin.
“What sort of hobbies do you have?”
“Other than running this rundown place?” Clarke huffed out a laugh. “Um. Well I love my cat. I try to keep up with making art when I can, though I’ve been in a rut lately.”
Bellamy snapped his fingers and sat more upright.
“That’s it! Art.”
Clarke cocked her eyebrow. “You do art?”
“No,” he grinned, “but I’ve seen a lot of historic art and have helped bring some pieces back from Earth for preservation. Kane’s company does a show every year, we could have easily met at the art gallery at one of the shows.”
“Wait, you mean Marcus Kane? You work for Marcus Kane?”
“You’re really good at not staying on topic, but yes , Marcus Kane. Do you know him?”
Now it was Clarke’s turn to smile.
“He’s been dating my mother on and off for the past ten years. They’re both a mess with commitment after everything they’ve been through. It’s almost too perfect that you work for him, that would fit how I would have known about the event.”
Bellamy nodded enthusiastically and Clarke felt herself swell with pride at being able to help concoct the story together. A part of her felt an odd pang at the falseness of it though. She’d always managed to somehow be busy on the gallery nights, much to her disappointment. That feeling doubled at the idea that she could have met Bellamy that much earlier. In another life, getting to chat over art and having the chance to really explore something.
But Bellamy was smiling too widely at her for her to dwell on it. Instead they quickly wrapped up the smaller details, easy to piece together now that they had such a strong starting off point. How they’d realized they both knew Octavia, partially fitting in Bellamy joke about love at first sight. Clarke supplied the idea that they’d gone back and forth with each other for a bit, before deciding to privately focus on their relationship which was why it wasn’t very public.
It felt almost too real by the end of it. They agreed on the story and Clarke could almost perfectly replace their meeting yesterday with the imaginary past years they’d just formulated.
From there though, now that they had everything sorted, it fell into rhythm. Bellamy worked, shuffling through papers and typing up notes into his computer. The sleek glass screen rested at an angle in front of him, illuminating his cheekbones and highlighting the intensity of his gaze as he read over the information he’d picked up from Earth. Occasionally he’d explain something to Clarke, his voice echoing in the room as he told her about one of their new findings. She’d ask him questions and he’d go off on tangents. It was soothing listening to him as she finished prepping for the night to begin. It somehow felt like a routine they’d done for a lifetime.
At one point she even had snuck up behind him, resting her head on his shoulder while he pointed out old artifacts on the screen in front of him.
As six rolled around, Eden officially opened. The sounds of the nightlife slowly beginning to buzz filtered in as the door opened, a figure appearing at the top. Clarke didn’t recognize him but Bellamy waved at them before turning to her.
“I figured I could help behind the bar tonight and my friend Miller needed a gig for some extra comps for a new apartment with his boyfriend, so I got him to come help be a bouncer. If that’s okay with you,” he quickly added. “He doesn’t need to stay on, just since Lincoln is still out.”
Clarke was so stunned at the thoughtfulness of Bellamy’s actions, and how quickly he had set it up, that she could mainly just nod in agreement. Eventually though, she found her voice as Miller introduced himself. He was almost even broader than Bellamy, if just a bit shorter. A slouchy beanie was pulled low onto his shaved head and Clarke knew that even the rowdiest of patrons would listen to him based on looks alone. But Miller had a bright easy-going smile, another example of how the people of Polis often took on the appearance of the hardened city and masked a softer person on the inside.
The three chatted for a bit before some people started to filter in and the night officially began.
Her assumption that it would be a busier turnout was correct, a steady stream of people coming in as work hours came to a close – people and AI alike looking forward to the weekend. Bellamy had fixed up her jukebox, excitedly explaining to her how much he had learned about them through his study of Earth’s artifacts. He was no Raven in terms of mechanics, but he quickly had it up and running and the crowd cheered as crooning songs began to filter through the speakers.
It was the buzz of conversation that gave Clarke the biggest thrill of owning Eden. Seeing everyone come together, heads thrown back in laughter, some holograms flickering in and out in a bright blue light, the mechanical voices of robot assistants even displaying emotion as they chatted. Polis wasn’t necessarily Clarke’s dream city. She wasn’t sure it was anyone’s. But here, people chose to push through it together and came out stronger for it. She’d made it into home, letting the large population, neon lights, and misty nights win her over.
Glancing at Bellamy, she felt another burst of affection for the city. Polis had also been his home and it was odd to think that they’d gone this long without their paths crossing, only to fall into this weekend by chance.
She still couldn’t believe how quickly he had agreed to pretending to be her boyfriend, let alone then volunteering to “date” her for the entire weekend.
There was no way most men would do that.
So of course, the one guy who did it also managed to make her actually develop feelings for him under the guise of already having said feelings so a ridiculous pilot would leave her alone. Finn would probably walk in at any moment. She’d already grown tired of his antics, but now that she was able to compare him to Bellamy it wasn’t even close.
She wasn’t going to have to do almost any acting tonight. Other than reminding her heart to try to not get too caught up in all of it. Surely it was just instant attraction. Not that hanging out almost domestically while he worked and she prepped the bar felt very much like a romantic partnership and not just the urge to hook up.
Nope. She had to stay focused.
Sure enough, as her watch clicked over to 10pm, she watched as the door to Eden opened and Finn walked in with some fellow pilots.
Clarke almost considered whispering for Bellamy to go get Miller and kick him out. But wasn’t this whole plan to show that she wasn’t bothered by Finn, or even interested in him since she had a “boyfriend” this whole time?
His smile directed at her had faded as his eyes took in the sight of Bellamy just behind her, leaning over to ask her where she kept the limes. His body brushed up against hers and she instinctively leaned into it, letting his voice wash over her as she pointed them out. He thanked her with a quick squeeze of her hip and she really did try to ignore the thrill that shot through her at the feeling. Really she did.
Now it was time to get the ball rolling. Operation “I’ve been dating Bellamy for years now and I’m so happy he’s home” was in action.
Their attentiveness to each other was thorough, enough to make even some other regulars pause and ask her about it. She was immediately thankful that they’d taken the time to come up with a story.
Having to repeat it a handful of times, Clarke fell back into the easiness of the story. The believability was there and not a single person seemed to doubt it, fawning over it and insisting to Bellamy that he had caught himself quite the girl. Each time they said it, his gaze would catch hers and the sparkle in his eyes was only bolstering this blossoming crush.
Normally Clarke was aggressive with her feelings. She often made the first move and didn’t have a problem being assertive about what she wanted.
Oddly that all went out the window when she already had an excuse to be close to someone.
She felt like she was back in school again, giggling over the latest boy band or the new girl in class. Every time Bellamy touched her, she felt a zing of electricity and she smiled like an idiot around him.
It was enough to keep Finn pushed back in the corner of the bar with his friends, grumpily doing his best to ignore the bar. He only came up once for an order, asking for it quickly and abruptly leaving. Maybe it had had something to do with Bellamy giving her ass a slight smack as he walked past her ringing up the order.
Either way, it was exactly what she could have hoped for. Along with the added benefit of being able to be affectionate with Bellamy, despite her nerves about it all.
So Clarke knew she shouldn’t have accepted the shot from Fox and Monroe. But it was a part of the job of being a bartender so she knocked it back with them, hitting the glass down onto the counter as the alcohol burned down her throat.
It would be fine. She didn’t drink nearly as much as she used to but she still had a good tolerance.
What she had forgotten was that alcohol made her clingier than normal. Something that she hadn’t had to think about in a long time since she’d been pretty unsuccessful in the dating sphere. Tonight was different though. Tonight she had a ridiculously good looking fake boyfriend helping her out.
She was far from drunk, but the rush of heat from the shot coursed through her and she found herself being drawn even closer to Bellamy. He’d been nursing a whiskey all night as he helped out, and he seemed okay with putting up with her. To get his attention at one point, she’d placed her hand on his arm and then ended up keeping it there much longer than she needed to, gently rubbing her thumb against the fabric of his shirt.
The small touches, excessive and greedy on her end (though reciprocated by Bellamy), continued through the night.
Maybe she should have been more concerned about how much she was doing it without seeing if Finn was looking at them.
But she had also not factored in that everyone at the bar would think she was dating Bellamy. So that was the weak excuse she gave herself as she let herself nudge him with her hip, indulging herself in the feel of his hand on her hip as he reached around her to grab someones extra comps that they had tipped.
At one point in the evening, he was caught up in a conversation with an old friend of hers, Monty. The two had somehow started talking about the Earth’s atmosphere and how it was affecting the plants that were still growing there. Monty had been always obsessed with studying plant life and he was hanging onto every word from Bellamy.
Clarke slid over, greeting Monty’s fiance, Harper, as she did. Bellamy’s arm slipped around her waist, pulling her closely into him and trapping her against his side. Harper grinned at her before mouthing something about a good catch, while nodding her head towards Bellamy. Clarke instantly blushed, giving an innocent shrug before glancing up at Bellamy. He was listening to Monty intently at the moment and she took the chance to take in his appearance this close up. The freckles on his cheek were subtle, an almost intimate detail about him. She wondered if he’d ever compared them to the stars that he passed on his journey.
Not able to help herself, Clarke pushed herself onto his toes to press a kiss to the cheek she had been studying. It was something a girlfriend would do, she told herself. But in honesty, she just wanted to do it anyway.
So she was thrown off when Bellamy suddenly turned as if to say something to her, their lips connecting with each other at the perfectly wrong time.
It was very much not how she wanted their first kiss to go.
The situation was too comical though and they both began to laugh, though almost a bit nervously. The brush of his beard against her skin had left tingling in its wake and Clarke tried to not lick her lips and look too obvious about the whole thing.
But then she saw Finn out of the corner of her eye, as well as Harper and Monty watching them, and she had to swallow her nerves.
“Looks like you’re still out of practice,” she teased.
“Says the woman who missed,” he responded, but she cut him off from saying anything else and pressed her lips against his for a real kiss this time.
Bellamy’s breath was hot against her and she felt his hands grip tightly around her waist. His fingers dug into her skin and the quick movement made her nearly gasp into his mouth. Her body was flush to his and it felt like he was completely enveloping her. Her hands itched to tangle themselves deeply into his hair, instead remaining cupping his cheeks.
When they pulled apart, Clarke tried to not convey how flustered she really was.
By all accounts, the kiss had been on the tamer side of things. But there had been an underlying energy to it, an authenticity to it, that had thrown her for a loop. A good loop.
Pretending that it wasn’t their first “official” kiss was difficult, but Clarke did her best to return to her duties as bartender. Bellamy did the same, slipping back into the role quickly as well as he grabbed some orders from a group that had just walked in. It would have made her nervous that she had been imagining the intensity of the kiss, if it wasn’t for the heated way she noticed his eyes followed her as she picked up a collection of empty glasses from a table.
She wasn’t able to fight snickering a little bit as she watched Finn bail early on his friends. Normally he was one of the last people there, even if he wasn’t hitting on her. Looked like he wasn’t much of a loyal patron if she wasn’t available. Bellamy caught her attention from where he was helping someone order a cocktail and he sent her a dramatic thumbs up.
And then a wink which sent shivers down her spine.
Feeling her confidence boosted, Clarke decided to hell with it. Even with Finn gone, she wanted to keep this whole thing up with Bellamy. If they regretted it later, they’d figure it out. But for now, it was well worth it.
The late night began to draw to a close and Clarke kept up every chance to still slip in touching Bellamy. A slight press of her hand to him as she walked past him, hugging him from behind as he told someone else the story of how they met. He did the same though, keeping her drunk on his attention. The shot had long faded into her system but he was enough. He’d plant a kiss on top of her head, the height difference to them satisfying in ways she wouldn’t have ever expected. Tugging her by her belt loop when he needed her attention.
When the last customer had left and the lights had been turned back on, Clarke was back in the cleaning supply closet to grab a mop for the back corner where one group had gotten a little too sloppy. She nearly missed Bellamy following her, until she bumped into him on her way back out.
“I know there’s nothing to prove, but what are your thoughts on another kiss?”
Bellamy lips were curved into a knowing smirk and Clarke couldn’t help but almost drop the mop to the ground as she stood up on her tiptoes to pull him closer to her.
This second kiss was slower, intentional. Bellamy had one hand holding the back of her head, his fingers woven into her hair, another gripping her waist to pull her up into his frame. She barely had to think about standing on her own as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and neck. Finally, she got to give into the urge to run her hands through his hair.
As she pulled her hands through, Bellamy let out a hum of approval that rumbled in his chest against hers, his grip tightening even more. His lips slid against hers as they moved together, his beard just the right amount of roughness on her skin. No doubt it would leave an extra flush behind, lips swollen as well, as a reminder of what they were doing. She sighed into the kiss, opening her mouth just slightly so that they could deepen it. At one point he pushed her up against the shelves, trapping her in his arms in a way that she never wanted to leave.
This kiss wasn’t for show. There was no one to confirm that they looked like a couple. Finn had already left, there was no reason for the facade. Hidden in the dark, back closet of an empty bar. Knowing all of that only added to Clarke’s dizziness.
Finally they slowed, Clarke leaving trailing kisses down his throat as she struggled to catch her breath. She couldn’t remember the last time she had just truly made out with someone. It was something she very much wanted to do again. Soon.
“I suppose we’re a little too good at this,” Bellamy whispered into her ear, his breath tickling her. She giggled into him, unable to pull her hands from the front of his shirt just yet.
“I know it’s fast, so I’m sorry if it’s too much for you. But 24 hours was all I needed to know that I don’t want to just fake this. I want it to be real.”
Without him holding onto her, Clarke was certain she would have fallen over in relief. He wanted this to be fully real as well, not just fake and not just a hookup. They may not have the same beginning that they told everyone tonight, but they could have the same ending.
Shaking her hair back, she looked up at him. She wanted to immediately kiss him again, but tried to restrain herself to the best of her abilities.
“Do you think your sister will be uncomfortable with us being together?”
Clarke wasn’t sure how she was going to be able to explain to Octavia that in the span of her honeymoon, she’d met her brother, had him pretend to be her boyfriend, and then subsequently fell for him and have him like her back as well.
She honestly was still trying to explain it to herself.
He shook his head with a slow smile.
“Absolutely. She uh, may have tried to set us up once. I didn’t know anything about you so I refused. Seemed silly to get involved with a stranger.” He reached up and traced a line down her nose. “Obviously that decision is now one of my biggest regrets.”
Clarke laughed, leaning into his hand as it left her nose and placing a gentle kiss to his palm. It was rough from his line of work, warm from holding her.
“Even if she did though,” he continued, leaning in to press his mouth against her forehead. “I don’t think I have it in me to not be with you.”
“Same here,” she whispered back to him, leaning in to kiss him once again.
Just like the night before, Bellamy helped her lock up Eden and head out into the night. It was technically Sunday now and even Polis was beginning to rest after a late night. Besides not having to worry about the rain this time, the biggest change was that this time Clarke didn’t have to call a hover cab. Instead, she let Bellamy help hoist her onto his motorcycle (only teasing him slightly at the preemptive second helmet he had brought). This time, Bellamy came in with her to her apartment, helping feed her cat.
Her com didn’t need to ping with a safe arrival text as he was right by her side as they stumbled into her bed together. Whereas yesterday Clarke had fallen asleep and woken up on her own, tonight she fell asleep to the almost purple sunrise with her limbs entangled with Bellamy’s.
He had traversed galaxies and she had a mother that planet hopped for vacation. She had been born in space and never seen Earth, instead having only grown up hearing stories of it and what was left behind.
But tonight, Clarke was in her own world. And it was perfect.