Work Text:
Blind dates were meant to be blind, was Clarke’s first thought. Well not literally blind, but you weren’t meant to know them, you weren’t meant to recognise them and you weren’t meant to know that they once slept with your friend to help her get over an ex… who was also your ex.
They also weren’t meant to be fifteen minutes late.
All of these things were running through Clarke’s mind as Bellamy something-or-other sauntered, and really sauntered was the word, up to the table. She had to admit he looked handsome in dark chinos and a grey button down that was just the right side of crumpled as though he’d not had time to change. But handsome didn’t make up for punctuality.
Or the fact he’d slept with her friend.
“Clarke right?” he said as he arrived at the table holding out his hand.
She stood and shook his and wondered if he had any idea she knew him already.
“Yeah, that’s right. Unfortunately I was just leaving.”
She grabs her bag from the table and goes to walk past him.
“Wait, what?” he catches her arm loosely until she looks down at it with a glare.
“I don’t wait twenty minutes for someone on a blind date.”
“It was fifteen -“
“That’s what you’re going with, not sorry?” she smirks at him now.
“I was going to explain if you hadn’t cut me off, no need to be such a brat about it.”
“A brat,” she all but splutters, “just because I value my time and think that’s an important quality in others.”
She thinks she’s got him there and starts to walk outside. It’s still warm as she leaves the restaurant, the sky is just starting to get darker but it’s October so there’s still a few more longer, lighter, evenings left.
She starts as she hears footsteps running up behind her, but its just Bellamy.
“Ugh, look can we start over.” He asks, standing in front of her effectively blocking her path.
“Doesn’t seem like I have much choice.”
He holds out his hand again, “Clarke, right? I’m so sorry I’m late it was parent teacher conference at school and one of the parents very much took against my opinion of her precious son.”
“Which is what?” Clarke asks, trying very hard not to be charmed and falling just short.
“That he is not in fact precious but could very well be a sociopath.” Bellamy laughs.
“I can see why she’d take offence.”
“I didn’t put it quite that way but I think she picked up on the subtext.” He smiles at her.
He’s still holding his hand out, “I’m Bellamy by the way.”
She takes his hand and drops it after a brief shake. She ignores the way his smile makes her insides flutter and instead decides that is very much not happening, her and Raven have been there before, literally.
“I know.” She starts walking.
“Of course you do,” he says falling in step beside her, “you know my sister.”
“Your sister?” she asks tilting her head to look up at him.
“Yeah, Octavia, Octavia Blake. The one who set this whole thing up.”
Ahh she thinks, Blake. Not something or other, but Bellamy Blake.
“I didn’t know Octavia was your sister, although that makes sense now I think about it.”
“Yeah,” he asks fondly.
“Yeah, same cheekbones and disregard for timekeeping.”
She can tell he can’t quite decide if he wants to be annoyed or laugh, so he settles on a huff with a tiny blush tinting his cheeks.
“Wait, if you didn’t know O was my sister, why are you here?”
“Lincoln told me he had a friend I might get along with.”
“Ah, the boyfriend.”
She doesn’t like the tone. “You disapprove? And I suggest you answer carefully because I’d basically fight to the death for Lincoln.”
“Good to know,” he mutters, but then continues, “It’s not that I disapprove, it’s just he’s so much older than her and I don’t want her to get hurt.”
Clarke softens at the tone, “she won’t. If anything Lincoln will end up hurt, I’ve never seen him like this about anyone and I’ve known him a long time.”
“Well let’s hope no one gets hurt then.” He says as if that settles it.
They come to a crossing.
“Which way?”
“Oh, I was just going to grab a cab,” Clarke responds, “I wasn’t actually walking with purpose.”
“Ok. Well shall we go left then?” He suggests already steering her down the side road a hand lightly on her back.
“You know, it’s actually not because of Octavia or Lincoln that I know you.” Clarke says because she’s getting entirely too comfortable walking next to him with his hand warm on her back his arm occasionally brushing up against hers.
“Hmm, you’re too young to be one of my student’s parents,” he teases, “And we definitely haven’t hooked up because I’d remember that.”
“You sure about that one? It would be pretty embarrassing for you…” she teases back giving him a small half smile.
“Oh trust me, I’d remember.” He says, his voice low.
Clarke doesn’t like the way he’s looking at her, well actually she very much likes it and wants to know what it would like to be remembered by Bellamy but she’s not going down that line of thought.
So instead she takes half a step away from him, and says, “hmm, getting warmer. There was a hook up involved.”
He looks genuinely confused and she decides to take pity on him.
“Does the name Raven Reyes mean anything to you?”
“Fuck.”
“Apparently so,” she smirks.
There’s a park across the street to the right of them, and she decides impulsively to detour over there. Checking the street to walk across and through the park gates.
“Nuh uh,” Bellamy says catching up with her, “You don’t get to spring an ex… acquaintance on a guy and then run off into a park.”
“Acquaintance, is that what the kids are calling it these days?” she scoffs, “and I wasn’t running off, the park just looked pretty and I fancied a detour.”
“So you know Raven?” he says after a minute.
She looks over at him, “yep.”
“So if you know Raven, how do you know me? I’m 100 per cent sure you weren’t there any of the times we hooked up.”
“I was actually.”
The look on his face is so incredulous Clarke can’t help but burst out laughing, “not like that, don’t worry.”
“Jesus, you had me worried for a second.”
“I was there at the bar, the night you met.”
“I don’t remember you.”
“I didn’t expect you to, it was years ago.”
“But you remembered me,” he says with a cheesy leer.
“Don’t get too cocky,” she replies rolling her eyes, “I only remember you because Raven and I actually stayed friends after that whole thing and she mentioned you.”
It was Clarke’s turn to blush now. She couldn’t very well tell Bellamy what Raven had said without totally blowing his ego, but she also couldn’t stop thinking about how good Raven said it was.
“She did huh.”
“Oh pipe down Romeo. She just said that it was what she needed after all the shit with Finn.”
“Oh yeah, I remember there was some kind of fucked up cheating situation where she caught her ex with some blonde chick…” he tails off in realisation.
“Blonde chick.” She points at herself.
“Ahh.” He says, his expression hardening for a split second.
“I didn’t know. He told me he was single. The first I knew of Raven is when she turned up and saw us together. But long story short we ditched him and kept each other so it’s all good.”
Bellamy smiles at that. They’ve stopped at the edge of the park, which is so beautiful in the late evening light it looks like something a location scout would choose for ‘perfect romantic setting: park.’ Which makes what she’s about to do next, even more ironic.
“But, because of that. This,” she motions between the two of them, “is the end of this.”
“That makes no sense.”
“Raven and I have a deal, we value each other more than a guy.”
“I get that, but Raven and I were never anything, and this might be something.”
“It won’t be.”
“But look at this setting Clarke, it’s meant to be.”
She rolls her eyes at that.
“You can’t tell me you’re not having a nice night with me so far,” He tries.
“Well so far you’ve been late, we left the restaurant where there was actual food and now we’re talking about ex hook ups.” She pauses for a beat and adds sarcastically, “best first date ever.”
But she’s smiling, and Bellamy can see that’s she’s smiling, which is apparently all he needs for confirmation to keep trying.
“Ok, I’ll make you a deal. Call Raven. Ask her if she’s ok with us continuing this terrible first date, if she is great. If not, we’ll just chalk it up to a waste of an evening.”
She smirks at the emphasis he put the word terrible. “You’re awfully sure of yourself Bellamy,” Clarke says pulling out her phone, “what if she confesses her love for you.”
“She’s hot. It’s win win for me.” He laughs.
Clarke punches him in the arm, “real charming.”
“She won’t confess her love for me, it was a casual thing years ago.” He says before adding quietly, “besides, I’m kinda into someone else right now” He’s rubbing the back of his neck and Clarke can’t help but think how cute he looks, which is not helpful so instead she dials Raven.
“Hey”
“Aren’t you meant to be on a blind date right now?” Raven says, as Bellamy mouths ‘speakphone’ at her.
She shakes her head, but he glares and reaches for her phone, she darts away but relents, putting the phone on speaker.
“Hello? Griffin?”
“Yeah, sorry. Turns out the date wasn’t so blind…”
“Huh?”
“Remember Bellamy Blake?” Clarke asks at the same time Raven says, “Am I on speaker?”
“Yes” they both say together then laugh.
“Hey Reyes” Bellamy says.
“Bellamy Blake, as I live and breathe! How are you?” Raven says fondly.
Clarke can’t help but feel jealous, even though she knows it’s stupid.
“Normally pretty good, but I need your help on something.” He says.
“Shoot.”
“Clarke here won’t go on another date with me, or even continue this one, because you and I hooked up.”
“Oh, no no no no. It’s not like that,” Clarke starts, “I just don’t want a Finn part two situation, I think that’s fair” she huffs.
“That is fair.” Raven says reasonably.
Clarke makes an ‘I-told-you-so-face’ at Bellamy in response to this and he rolls his eyes.
“But not really the same thing. I mean it’s kind of an apples and oranges situation,” Raven says.
“Clarke, do you want to go on another date with Bellamy?” Raven asks thoughtfully.
“Uhh… ummm… yeah, I guess.” Clarke mumbles feeling her face on fire and refusing to look at Bellamy right now.
“I’m taking that as a yes. Blake, you still good in bed?” Raven asks.
Clarke splutters, hiding a laugh, and looks at Bellamy who is just mouthing shapes and going bright red.
“As far as I know, I’ve had no complaints,” he finally manages. “Is that relevant?”
“Hey, I gotta get the facts. I don’t want to give Clarke my blessing if you’ve somehow become selfish and lazy in the last few years, that would be cruel.” Raven laughs.
“Cruel like this conversation.” Bellamy says sarcastically.
“Hey, you two idiots called me.”
“Yeah we did.” Clarke says rolling her eyes at Bellamy, who just smiles at her and shrugs.
“Well not that you need it, but Clarke you have my blessing.”
“Thanks.” Clarke laughs.
“And lets go out for lots and lots of drinks once you two get past the inevitable honeymoon phase. Be nice to see your pretty face again Blake, in a purely platonic way of course.”
“Of course.” He replies.
“Bye.”
Clarke hangs up the call and looks at Bellamy who is smiling. “You know she will use that against us for the rest of all time,” she tells him.
“Worth it, if it means I get to take you out again.” He shrugs, stepping closer to her.
“Again? We haven’t even finished this date yet.” She smiles stepping to meet him.
“What can I say, I’m an optimist.” He says leaning down to kiss her.
“Yeah?” she says, pulling back after the kiss. “how optimistic are you about finding somewhere to eat in a two block radius of here?”
“That’s very specific,” he replies taking her hand and pulling her close to him.
“I’m hungry and my feet hurt, these shoes aren’t exactly made for walking.”
He looks down at her feet and then back at her, “pretty though.”
“Indeed they are.”
“I didn’t mean the shoes.”
“Ugh you absolute cheeseball.” She laughs, nudging him with her side, which turns into him pressing a kiss on her temple.
“What can I say, it’s the perfect setting,” he gestures to the dusk that is falling around them casting beautiful shadows on the trees, “and I’m feeling optimistic.”
“About food?” Clarke asks.
“About this night.” He smiles, “and yes, food.”
But I’m frankly feeling nothing
Is that so?
Or it could be less than nothing
Good to know? So you agree?
That’s right
What a waste of a lovely night.