WHO: Clarke Griffin and Bellamy Blake WHEN: Not too long ago. WHERE: Bellamy's apartment WHAT: Clarke goes to tell Bellamy that she got a job, and to see how he's doing. WARNINGS: maybe mentions of violence and death? Idk it's The 100 STATUS: gdoc, finishing in the comments
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Clarke was adjusting to life on a boat when she was suddenly in a town. A well populated town, along with lots of shops and sights. It was very surreal for her, that Earth could look like this. The Earth she knew was bleak but beautiful, vast and yet so very small. Upon finding out that she was living with Lexa, she knew that they’d have to do something for food. Hunting wasn’t really an option.
She was sketching in one of the Starbucks (coffee was decadent, she had never had it before) when she was stopped by an older woman.
And with that luck, Clarke was able to secure a job at the local elementary school as an art teacher.
School wouldn’t be starting for a bit, as it was spring break (a holiday for a season! Earth is amazing!) So she didn’t have much to do. It was awkward with Lexa-- she wanted to be with her, she was familiar. But time had been taken from them. Clarke was out of their shared space for the day, so she could see Bellamy. There was a small grassy patch outside of his apartment, and she sat there, waiting for him to come out. She had texted him moments ago, Out here.
Watching her come and go, in a way, had been jarring for Bellamy, perhaps in the same way it had been for Clarke to go from sea to land. He was, of course, relieved to be back on dry land and somewhere familiar. A lot had changed, but he still knew the town. Time had literally seemed to stand still while they were gone on that godforsaken cruise.
As always, Bellamy had been keeping to himself. Octavia was gone (again) and he didn’t want to deal with the fact that he still had no real concept of what had become of her. She hadn’t been forthcoming with information then and it didn’t appear to have changed upon O’s return either.
Still, he had Clarke and Murphy. Katniss and Zelda hadn’t vanished on him either. It felt like a tiny twist in his gut to think about how few people were around that he knew anymore. Raven…
Shaking his head at the text, he knew better than to deny Clarke a visit. Soldiering up his resolve, he ventured down to where she sat waiting and took a seat across from her. His expression was typically solemn, something he found increasingly hard to restrain.
“I’m here,” he greeted, smile faint. “What’s going on?”
Clarke looked at him fondly, just giving a herself a moment to take him in. It had been so long since she’d seen him. Even if they met up a few times since she got here, it was still strange to see him. She had radioed them every day, convincing the silence that it was okay they left her. They had to. She wouldn’t want them to die for her. And they would have-- she was alone, but she wasn’t permanently alone.
“I wanted to tell you the good news.” She sat with her legs straight out in front of her, and she leaned against the tree. It was a small tree, and a small grassy area, but she was happy for it. There was a lot of dirt in Tumbleweed. Where Clarke had been on Earth back home, there was lush foliage. “I got a job,” she sounded smug and smiled that smile that she reserved for him.
That smile. He had to admit, it was a sight for incredibly sore eyes. Bellamy felt tired, the sort of tired that clung to bones and hung over the soul. He was bone weary from battles and loss, but Clarke smiled and that made everything seem a little bit brighter. It reminded him that he had gotten through the vast majority of their hardships solely because of her.
“A job,” he repeated with a dry laugh. “How about that. What’d you get?” He expected something proper, befitting the princess who had done more than just grow up. She’d blossomed.
His laugh made her smile wider. They didn’t get to do things like this before, smile and laugh. Just talk about things that weren’t life or death situations. “IIIIII, am Ms. Griffin, kindergarten art teacher at Tumbleweed elementary.” She lifted a hand to her chest, rested it there, but then poked herself with her first finger. “Me.”
Then she leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. “Where do you work? And how’s this apartment? Lexa and I have a house…”
“Kindergarten art teacher,” he chuckled again, almost uncomfortable with the sound of his own mirth. It wasn’t one elicited lately, not with all the losses. Clarke had gained something great though, a lost love returned.
“Happy for you,” he nodded, genuine. “It’ll suit you.”
As for his apartment, Bellamy’s glance shifted to the building in question. “I’ve got my old job, I’m a bouncer. It pays the bills for this place. Same place I had before. Not much to look at. The inside is identical to my room on the Ark.” It was just a place to rest his head at this point.
His chuckle was adorable and she hoped she’d hear it more often. She loved and respected Bellamy greatly, and hated this feeling of unfamiliarity between them. “It does?” She perked up, almost wondering if she should ask to see the inside. Then a terrible feeling in the pit of her stomach told her ‘no.’
Clarke crossed her legs underneath her and leaned forward. “How are you doing, though? Like, really?” She was dressed down, layered t-shirts and a hooded sweatshirt. The clothes had come from the local Goodwill. Her hair was chopped off at the shoulder, and the pinkish dye she had made and put in it months ago was starting to wash out. She knew that she missed Madi desperately, wanted to make sure the girl was all right. Clarke knew what Bellamy felt every time Octavia ran off. Or how he felt leaving her in the bunker on Earth.