Us (Bellarke Fanfic)

[chapter seventeen - clarke]

I know Octavia is in her room, because I saw her disappear in there earlier. 

I still feel bad about what I said to Bellamy, but I know he knows I didn't mean it. At least, I hope he does. 

I do plan on moving on - Mom clearly doesn't care about my feelings, so why should I care about what she does?

I reach Octavia's room and open the door - but the sight I'm greeted with is not at all what I expected. 

"Oh my gosh!" I cry, slamming the door closed. It takes a second for my mind to register what I saw - Octavia on top of Lincoln, very focused on... each other. 

I stand outside for a minute, breathing deeply. I'm that girl in the TV shows that walks in on the main character and her boyfriend right before things get heated. 

A few seconds later, Octavia opens the door. 

"Clarke," she says, eyes wide. "I'm so, so, so sorr-"

She stops talking abruptly and looks past my shoulder, a look of pure horror on her face. I turn around and see Bellamy, his face contorted into a huge frown. 

"Oh God," Octavia whispers. 

"What the hell is happening?" Bellamy asks coolly. 

"Bellamy," Octavia says, pushing Lincoln away from the door. "I'm in grade nine, and I'm capable of-"

"Are you serious, Octavia? You're barely in high school, and you're already making out with guys in my house?"

"Our house," Octavia says, furious. "What I decide to do with my time isn't any of your business, Bellamy!"

"Bellamy," I cut in. "Maybe you should-"

"Stay out of it, Clarke," he says, pushing past me. It's kind of a ridiculous sight - neither Bellamy or Lincoln are wearing shirts, and Octavia looks terrified. 

Of course, I know I have to do something. This is my fault, after all. 

"I want him out of here, right now. You shouldn't be doing stuff like this, O! You need to focus on school, on... your future! Not some guy who isn't going to be part of your life in a few months-"

"You don't even know what you're talking about!" Octavia cries. "Bellamy, I put up with a lot from you, but I won't just stand here and listen to you talk crap about a guy that I love!"

Octavia's expression only grows more upset. She turns around, looking at Lincoln. "Shoot."

Bellamy steps forwards, as though to say something else, but I grab his arm and pull him back. 

"Let go of me, Clarke," he says firmly. 

"No," I reply sharply, dragging him down the hallway and back into his room. "You went too far, Bellamy. I know I shouldn't be butting into your business, but Octavia is right. You don't get to control her life any more than she should get to control yours."

"I'm her guardian, not just her brother," Bellamy says, struggling to get out of my grasp and reach for the door. I push him inside his room, kicking the door closed with my heel. 

"You still don't get to control what she wants to do. She can handle herself, Bell, and Lincoln isn't a bad person."

"You don't get to decide that," Bellamy says, removing my hand from his arm. He tries to push past me again, but I've had enough. I grab his shoulders and force him to sit down on the bed. He looks up with me, furious. 

"Bellamy, listen to me," I say, glaring at him. "You take care of your sister. You make sure she has food on her table, you ensure that she never wants for anything. But if you don't let her make her own decisions, she's never going to learn how to be her own person. If she loves Lincoln, which is something that you forced her to admit, then you have to back off. I know she's your sister... but she's also a teenage girl. You have to trust her, Bellamy."

Bellamy looks away for a long moment, and when he looks back at me, he has tears in his eyes. 

"I'm losing her, Clarke," he says weakly. "She's not going to need me anymore."

So this isn't about Lincoln after all. He's afraid that he's going to be alone. 

I crouch down in front of him, looking into his eyes. 

"You're not losing her," I say firmly. "She's just finding herself, Bellamy. She has enough room in her heart to love both of you."

"Does she?" Bellamy asks. He inhales deeply, breaking eye contact and looking up at the ceiling. 

"Yes," I say, looking around for his shirt. I can't take him seriously when he's half naked. I find one on the floor by his dresser, tossing it to him. "Put this on and take a few breaths."

He takes the shirt and pulls it over his head. 

"The thing is, Bellamy, Octavia is never going to forget everything you've done to protect her. Stopping her from doing something in the house doesn't mean she's gong to stop doing it all together - it means you have a chance to create a safe space where she and Lincoln are accepted, or if you want to make this a place where she doesn't get to be who she is and love who she wants. This is a chance for you two to get closer."

Bellamy sighs, resting his head in his hands. 

"What does she do when you bring girls home?" I ask. 

"I don't really," Bellamy says awkwardly. "And if I do, she never knows."

"Okay then," I say, biting my lip. "Um, then picture this. You're with the girl you like, and Octavia walks in. Would she yell at you for taking this step without talking to her, or that you shouldn't be doing this in your house, or would she support you?"

Bellamy thinks for a moment, a small smile tugging at his lips. "She'd probably be dramatic, tease me about it... but she wouldn't get mad," he says, his smile fading. "But you said it yourself, Clarke. She's a better person than me. I'm not anything, right?"

"Bellamy Blake," I say, grabbing his chin and forcing him to look at me. "Don't say that. I'm sorry. I didn't mean that, you know that."

"But you're right, Clarke. I'm awful to everybody."

"I'm not going into this again," I say, dropping my hand from his face. "What do I have to say to get you to believe me?"

He shakes his head. "I... I don't know, Clarke. I don't... I don't even care. I don't care what..."

He pauses for a moment, and I realize he's crying. 

"Bellamy," I say softly, sliding onto the bed to sit beside him. 

"You can just go, Clarke," he says, looking away from me. I shake my head. 

"I'm good."

"I'm serious," he says, crossing his arms. I think for a moment, then tentatively lean my head against his shoulder. He stays completely still for a second, then rests his head against mine. "Does this make us friends?" he asks. 

"I guess," I whisper, closing my eyes. He laughs dryly, but doesn't protest. 

"Thank you, Clarke," he says quietly. I smile. 

I guess he isn't so bad. 

---

A/N: I'm so sorry, this is the shortest chapter yet. BUT the story is heating up, this was kind of a fluff chapter meant to bring Bell and Clarke together because I really want to start writing them as friends. I also wanted to say thank you so much for more than 350 reads! Thank you so much for reading - and feel free to comment, because I love reading your thoughts! <3